Transfer
by TheHunterPersian
Summary: Vector; star quarterback at Mobius University, meets Espio; a foreign exchange student from another part of Mobius. After he's been given the responsibility of mentoring Espio, Vector soon finds a friend with the mysterious chameleon, even with language barriers. However, as the school year progresses, Vector soon realizes "friend" becomes something else.. College!Vecpio AU.
1. Chapter 1

**(AN: You know, every ship seems to have it's own high school/college AU.**

 **So when I find out Vecpio doesn't have one, well, guess who's gotta fill in for that.**

 **Yup, this fic is (if it isn't obvious from the description :V) is a college!Vecpio AU. I've been thinking about one for a while, and I guess the thing that broke the camel's back was this prompt from the "otpprompts" tumblr:**

 _ **"Imagine your OTP. Person A is a foreign exchange student and Person B helps teach them the language that is spoken in the country they are in.**_

 **So that is what's mainly gunna inspire this fic. I've already got ideas for future chapters, so it's safe to say I'm ready. The only thing that I have yet is a cover image, which is going to be made by a friend of mine in the future, but for now, we're gunna have this placeholder one.**

 **With all of that out of the way, I hope you enjoy "Transfer", as much as I enjoyed writing this!)**

* * *

"Uh-huh… yeah, I got it, Mom. Yeah, ya already put enough money in mah meal plan, so I got things to eat, and I dun need to worry 'bout starvin'… Yeah yeah, I got everythin' I need, I made sure to pack carefully. Alrighty, that's all? Gotcha. Love ya, mom. Say hi to dad when ya can, alright?"

Vector pressed the "end call" button on his cell phone as he opened one of the boxes he had laying around. The crocodile felt quite good today; he was beginning his sophomore year of college at Mobius University, and not to mention, he would still be a part of the school's ever-popular football team, Vector being the star quarterback.

The large green reptile unpacked various items he took from home; clothes, certain knick-knacks, not to mention all the books he had to buy, and the very small amount of school supplies. He placed the last two into a strap pack, tightening it up.

It took Vector almost an hour to unpack everything, and when he did, he stepped back, and admired his work.

"Shame I ain't gettin' a roomie… kinda wish there would be someone who could enjoy this. Oh well, bein' alone isn't an issue."

Vector took a lanyard which contained his school I.D. and placed it over his neck, along with his signature gold chain. He also placed his favorite pair of sleek black headphones on, and looked in the mirror on the door. Wearing a sports t-shirt, along with black shorts and shoes, as well as everything else he had on, Vector admired himself in the mirror for a brief while before he soon exited his room, strap pack over his back.

"I should probably sign mahself in before class starts…" The crocodile said to himself.

Walking out of his dorm, and into the main lobby, he saw a line of freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors getting signed into Mobius University's school system. Getting into the sophomore line, Vector waited around for a while until his turn finally arrived. He walked up to a female chipmunk wearing a blue vest, white t-shirt, and some skinny jeans.

"Name please?" she asked.

"It's Vector. Vector the Crocodile." Vector responded. The chimpmunk wrote it down.

"And room number?"

"B-103"

The chimpmunk also wrote it down as well, shaking Vector's large hand when she was done.

"Welcome, star quarterback. I'm Sally, and I'll be your RA for your sophomore year. As long as you know the rules, and you don't break them, I'm a nice person. Break them however, and I'll be sure to send you the rules in large text each day, and don't think I won't do it. We clear? We clear."

Vector raised a brow as Sally then looked surprised.

"Whoop! Almost forgot something!"

She digged through a folder and passed a sheet of paper to Vector.

"Your schedule for all the classes you signed up for. As for your lunch schedule, breakfast is from seven to nine A.M. Lunch is then from one to two P.M. And finally, dinner is from seven to nine P.M. Light's out are expected at ten thirty on weekdays, midnight on weekends. That should be it for time schedules. I'm sure you know your surroundings here, so a map probably isn't necessary." Sally said. "Since breakfast servings start tomorrow instead of today, feel free to sit around in the dining hall until your first class begins."

"Thanks."

Vector walked away from the table as he headed towards the dining hall. Various mobians of different species all stood and sat around, waiting for their own class. The crocodile checked his schedule, which read that his first class was Advanced English Literature.

" _Alright! Got that class!"_ Vector thought. While he knew that he wanted to succeed in sports, Vector had a backup plan in case that failed; since he was a child, Vector had always wanted to become a detective, watching various detective themed TV shows and movies anytime he caught them on TV. Because of that, he had to get an English degree in order to get into a law school.

"Hopefully the day turns out well…"

* * *

At nine, a loud buzzing noise was heard throughout the dining hall, signifying the official start of the day. Vector got up from his seat and walked towards English Literature, finding the class room number. The large green reptile entered inside the large room as he took a seat in one of various the rows of chairs, sitting next to Rouge, a girl who had been in the same class last year.

" _In fact, everyone I know is here…"_ Vector realized as everyone else who was a part of the class last year when he was a freshman walked in. After everyone came in, the English Literature instructor; Professor Finitevus, walked up to a pedestal.

"Uh, hello! Judging from all of your faces, I can tell that everyone who was in my class, sans a few, seem to be here. It's nice to see all of you; it proves how much your devotion is. I'm sure many of you know my name, but for those who forgot, I am Professor Finitevus; your English Literature instructor for this semester. First, we'll need to get a quick roll call."

After calling everyone's names, and checking off that they were present, Professor Finitevus put down his clipboard.

"Now, I'm sure that we all know each other, so no need for introductions or anything. But that is not the case for our new student, and a surprise one too."

Everyone looked around. "New student?" they all whispered. In that moment, everyone saw Finitevus motion towards someone, and just then, the strangest looking person Vector had ever seen before stood by the white echidna.

He was a small, fuchsia colored chameleon, wearing what seemed to be cuffs on his wrists and legs, as well as some sort of old fashioned clothing Vector had seen in history textbooks back in middle and high school.

"Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Espio. Espio here is actually a transfer student from Northern Mobius."

More whispers came out of people. _"Northern Mobius?"_ they said. _"Isn't that where all those Japanese Mobians live? What's he doing here? And why does he look like he's in the six hundreds or something?"_

"Now, even if Espio doesn't speak English, we still want to treat him like we as adults, treat one another. And that's the correct way, the way of our alma mater."

Looking at the chameleon, Finitevus pointed around.

"Let's see… how about you sit next to…. Vector, right there." he said, pointing at the seat next to the crocodile. Vector watched as Espio walked up and sat down next to Vector.

"Now class, let's begin with handing out the syllabus…"

Yet, as he zoned out of Professor Finitevus' speech, Vector couldn't take his eyes off the strange chameleon.

" _Whadda weird guy…"_ he said to himself.

* * *

After class was done, there was a small break before the lunch hour. Vector walked out of class, not before he saw a large, human figure walking towards him, who was none other than the headmaster of Mobius University; Ivo Robotnik (or, as many liked to call him; Eggman).

"Ah, Vector! Just the person I need!" he said. The crocodile saw that Espio was walking right next to him, along with an unidentified person who was by the chameleon.

"I'm sure you've met our new transfer student, Espio. Correct?"

"He's in mah Advanced English Literature class." replied Vector.

"Oh good, then you do know him! See, I'd like a favor to ask you, a very important favor at that! I was wondering if this year, you could be Espio's mentor and tutor. Since he doesn't know English, he's going to need a lot of help understanding things around here, so you'll be there to teach him, let's say with talking with people, doing his assignments, figuring out where to go, that sort of thing."

"Hmm… I dunno… are there any benefits?"

"I'll think of them soon, but I ask you of this, since I know you're a great student, Vector."

Vector rubbed his snout before nodded. "Alrighty, I'll help him. I'll place him under mah responsibility."

"Good! Now, along with that, he's also going to be your new roommate. Don't worry, everything of his is already packed-"

Vector noticed where Espio was standing; he was listening to the person beside him, who was speaking a foreign language Vector didn't understand, most definitely Japanese.

"He already has everything he needs. Anddd, that should be it! I'll hopefully see you soon."

Robotnik and the translator went away as Espio looked at Vector. The crocodilian quarterback placed his hands on his hips and stared at the foreign chameleon.

"Alrighty… what's yer name… Espio? Yeah, from now on, I'm gunna help ya with things around here. If ya ever need mah help, I'm always open."

Espio however, didn't respond. He still continued to look at Vector.

"Uh… can ya even understand what I'm sayin'?" Vector asked. "Hello?"

Still, Espio continued to stare at Vector.

"Alrighty, let's start off simple. Since ya don't know English, I might as well teach ya some here. I'm gunna start with greetin's. Now, here we say "Hi, how are you?" So, lemme give you an example."

Vector held out his hand to Espio. "Hey, mah name's Vector. What's yer name?"

"We say hello anytime we see a person we know. It can also be, hi, yo, what's up, etc. Now, ya try it."

Espio still, continued to look at Vector, confused and confounded. Vector sighed as he shook his head.

" _Oh, Chaos… whuddid I get mahself into…"_ Vector thought. "It's clear as day ya don't understand me period. Whudda they say 'round where yer from? Konichiwa or somethin'?"

And in that moment, Espio responded surprisingly. "Ah… konichiwa…"

"Huh? Ya understood me? And here I thought ya were mute. Alright, Espio, it seems ya only know Japanese, but it's time ya learn English. After all, yer first language ain't gunna do much good here."

In that moment, Vector checked his watch and saw it was time for the lunch period.

"Hey, ya hungry? I am, let's head off to lunch. Follow me."

Vector headed off to the dining hall as Espio slowly followed after him.

* * *

If there was one thing Vector loved the most about college, it was the food. They served all kinds of things, from burgers, pizzas of all kinds of variety, appetizers such as fries and cheese sticks various different snacks and drinks, a salad bar that seemed like it went on forever, a vendor with various kinds of international foods, and the list goes on.

Vector felt his mouth watering as he smelled everything. Espio simply looked at the large crocodile.

"Ahh… lunch; god's gift to man. Alrighty, Espio, so I gotta lot on mah meal plan, so how 'bout I treat ya? I dun wanna let mah parents waste all their money, so I gotta use mah meal plan up. Let's get ya yer thing. Whuddya like?" Vector asked.

Espio simply stared at Vector, but then scanned the area. He caught sight of the corner selling international foods and walked over to it. He looked around and saw a container of sushi rolls. He picked it up along with a cold water bottle and held it out to Vector.

"This all, Espio? This seems a bit too small dontcha think?"

Espio still continued to hold out the small meal in front of Vector. Seeing as how this was most likely not going to change his mind, Vector sighed and shook his head.

"Alrighty… lemme get what I'm gunna eat."

A few minutes later, the crocodilian quarterback returned with his meal, sending Espio in a bit of shock as he saw the other's plate; a large pizza, a candy bar, a soda, a large portion of salad, and a taco: all foods the chameleon had never seen. Vector noted Espio staring at his meal.

"What? Mah food? Yeah, I know I eat a lot, but hey, Imma big guy, what can I do?" Vector said. "Anyway, let's go ahead and pay for this."

Walking up to the casher who rang everything up, Vector and Espio walked around the various tables for a bit, looking for a place to sit.

"Yo, Vector!" The crocodile and chameleon heard someone called out. Vector turned around and saw Knuckles and Mighty; two friends he made last year.

"C'mon, Espio." Vector said, as he started walking towards his "squad" (as he called it), Espio following behind him. The large green reptile sat down and did a hand greeting with the two.

"What's up, man? How things been?" Vector asked.

"Great, man! Grades were high last year, so I'm still on the football team!" Knuckles responded.

"Awh, yeah!" The two then bumped fists. "And whudda 'bout cha Mighty? Still gunna do wrestlin' like last year?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" replied Mighty.

"I dunno, you're always so caught up in that peace stuff that I think you wouldn't want to hurt someone!" Knuckles teased as the somewhat muscular armadillo's face grew red. He then saw Espio. "Hm? Oh, Vector, who's the fuschia kid right there?"

"Him? Oh, that's Espio. He's actually a transfer student from Northern Mobius. Eggman wanted me to take him under mah wing, so I am."

"Northern Mobius? Nice." The muscular echidna said, taking a sip from his drink.

"I've always wanted to go to a place like that. I heard it's usually beautiful this time of year." Mighty said.

As the three went on with some more talking, Vector watched Espio eat his sushi rolls with chopsticks.

"Wow, he can use chopsticks well." Knuckles complimented, noticing that Vector had his attention more on Espio rather than his friends.

"I never could use them. Then again, mah hands are huge." Vector responded as he unwrapped his candy bar.

For about until the end of the lunch period, the three continued to talk as Espio watched them converse when he finished eating.

* * *

After different classes were had, the learning portion of the day was already done. Around the time the sun started to slowly set, Vector returned with Espio back to their dorm.

"And here's… where yer gunna be stayin'." Vector explained. Espio walked in as Vector closed the door behind them. He saw all of the foreign chameleon's objects were already unpacked (though there were barely any in the first place). He then reached into the mini fridge in the corner and pulled out a sports drink.

"Yo, Espio. Just to let ya know, there's plenty of snacks to eat and things to drink in here. If ya ever want somethin', just tell me. I'm willin' to share anythin'. Hell, I'll let ya share parts of the room. But not mah stuff like shampoo 'n stuff, that's mine." Vector said. Espio simply looked at him, which wasn't surprising to Vector.

"I think dinner's gunna come up soon, wanna head down there? Or are ya not hungry?"

Still getting no response, Vector decided to try a new approach. He walked up to Espio.

"Now, Espio… do ya wanna…"

And then, Vector started doing body language, signifying an eating movement. Espio slowly nodded.

"Hai…" he softly said.

"Alrighty, whuddever that means, Imma take that as a yes. C'mon."

* * *

Much like with lunch time, Vector pretty much filed his entire plate with different kinds of food while Espio only got something small (a salad in this case). The crocodile watched as the chameleon looked at a fork like it was completely alien.

"Ya don't know how to use that, do ya, Espio?" Vector asked. "Here, lemme show you."

The large green reptile took the fork from the fuchsia reptile's hand. "First, ya hold it like this." Vector held out the fork in front of Espio. "Then, ya either scoop it up, or impale it like this."

He then demonstrated it to Espio as he gave the fork back to him. Espio ate what was on his fork as he slowly chewed.

"Ya got it now?" Vector asked. Espio once again, looked at Vector, yet didn't respond. However, he seemed to have understood the other's movements, as Espio stabbed bits of salad and then placed it into his mouth, chewing softly.

" _At least he's gettin' the hang of things."_ Vector thought as he drank the last bit of his sports drink.

* * *

After dinner, the two reptiles got up and threw away their plates, retreating back to their dorm. Vector had decided to go over the various syllabuses that his classes gave out, agreeing to everything. He then noticed that Espio had his own syllabuses in front of him on the desk by the wall, but he didn't seem to be getting anything on the papers in front of him.

"Yo, need some help? I'll be willin'." Vector asked, sitting on the desk. Espio looked at him as Vector looked at the various sheets.

For the next few minutes, the crocodilian quarterback read aloud the syllabuses to the foreign exchange student, making sure to explain every little detail. When it was all over, Vector gave Espio a pen and signified him to write his name. Understanding what he meant, Espio slowly but neatly wrote his name.

" _Damn… he's got better hand writin' then me…"_ Vector thought. _"Hm... leftie too..."_ He realized when he saw Espio writing with his left hand.

"Alllrighty! That should be all yer syllabuses, Espio. Tomorrow, turn them into all yer teachers, or they probably won't let ya continue takin' the class."

Vector then looked at the clock on the desk, which read "10:13 PM".

"Dang! Has it really been that long?" Vector exclaimed. "Well, looks like it. Alrighty, Espio. It's time fer bed. It's not real healthy to stay up far too late y'know."

Vector looked at the bunk bed in front of him as Espio got on the bottom, at least, until Vector stopped him.

"Wait, Espio. I'll get the bottom. Ya can sleep on top, cause I dun wanna crush ya while yer sleepin'." The crocodile said. Espio didn't respond, but when he noticed Vector get in the bottom bunk, he knew where his place was.

"Turn off the light, will ya, Esp…" Vector lazily said. He kicked off his shoes, shirt, chain, and headphones, lying in bed with only his shorts on. The chameleon turned off the lamp by the desk as he walked to the bunk. As he did, he took a look at Vector, noticing his chiseled muscular body, not to mention how content he seemed relaxed.

Espio climbed up to the top bunk as he took off most of his own clothes. He pulled over the covers as he heard Vector yawn.

"Nighty night, Espio…" he said. A few seconds later, the room was drowned out by Vector's loud snoring. Back home, his father was a snorer, but Espio never imagined someone could snore as loud as Vector. Still, he was glad to have a guide to help him with the confusing Mobius University.

Espio flipped himself over a few times before finding a position that was comfortable, falling asleep thereafter as the moon shined in on Vector and Espio's dorm room.


	2. Chapter 2

**(AN: Don't you just hate it whenever your favorite fic hasn't been updated in forever, or a fic with a really good premise never has a Chapter 2?**

 **If you thought this was gunna be one of them, well, you're sadly mistaken.**

 **That's right, welcome back to some more Transfer! When we last left off, it was introduction day, getting everything set up for the fic, all that jazz. So why don't we get some new content in? It seems reasonable enough after all.**

 **Sit back, relax, and enjoy Chapter 2!)**

* * *

"Alright boys! Good practice today! Remember, we'll be practicing tomorrow as well, and the weekends proceeding before the first game of the season!"

It was late morning on the first Saturday of the school year, and the Mobius University football team was out on the school's football field, practicing for the upcoming season which started in September, though they had started training much earlier under the coach's claim of "needing to make sure rival schools aren't prepared for us!"

The entire team headed towards the locker room for a shower, tired from the day of practice, even though all the boys spent their summer keeping up in shape.

"Yo, Vector." Knuckles said as he ran up to the crocodilian quarterback, softly hitting his side to get his attention. "Nice job today, man. You're still as great as you were last year."

"Heh, thanks, Knuckles. What can I say? I've been trainin' hard this summer."

As the team entered inside the locker room and started to change, the entire field became deserted, except for a large, muscular polar bear, and only one person on the stands.

Espio had decided to come to Vector's practice mainly due to the fact that without the crocodile, he was pretty much useless around the University. However, for most of the time, the foreign exchange student had been enticed in his book: a blue cover with Japanese text, which title translates to: "The Little Blue Bird".

The chameleon had looked up to see that mostly everyone was gone, and concluded to their practice session was done. He closed his book and took his bag, walking up to the large, muscular polar bear, who was writing something on his clipboard.

"Hm?" he said, turning around. "Ah! Hello there! I didn't see you there! Say… fuchsia… and a chameleon as well… you must be the foreign exchange student the other professors are mentioning!"

He then held out his hand. "I'm Coach Augustus, the football coach here. Is there anything you needed?"

Espio struggled to remember what word Vector used for introductions. While it tore him on the inside that he couldn't remember it, he did remember the time he shook Vector's hand for introductions. The fuchsia reptile began to shake Coach Augustus' hand, however, not saying any words.

"I forgot for a moment that you don't speak English…" The large, muscular polar bear said. "I assume you're here for something. Mind pointing to it?"

Espio still didn't respond, but noticed that the team was coming out from the locker rooms, now fully dressed. Espio spotted Vector and pointed to him.

"Vector? You know Vector?! He's probably one of my better players!" Coach Augustus' exclaimed. "You've got great ties, kid."

Vector, along with Knuckles, walked up to their coach, noticing Espio.

"Hey, Espio. Whacha doing here?" The large green reptile asked.

"I was just talking with your friend, Vector. It's nice to see he came to our practice today, we need the motivation." replied Coach Augustus.

"Yeah, sure we do. So imma been headin' out now, gunna spend this weekend hopefully relaxin' before the floodgates fer schoolwork begin on Monday. Teachers have already been givin' me some homework."

"Hey now, I don't let blockheads in my team. Don't slack off on your work and get low marks."

"I'm not gunna! Unlike dopes back in high school, I actually give a damn 'bout how well I'm doin' gradewise."

"That's good, cause once those grades drop; I'm kicking your ass back to Downunda, and I won't be afraid to do so."

"Heh, like to see ya try, coach. Anyway, I think I'll be headin' out now. C'mon, Espio."

Espio followed behind Vector as the left the field.

"See you, you two! And hey! Foreign exchange kid! Make sure to keep Vector in line!"

The large green reptile rolled his eyes as the two continued to walk.

"Man, today was tough. But I sure haven't felt that great in a while." The crocodilian quarterback mentioned. "I'm gettin' hungry, and it's almost one, so how 'bout we head out somewhere? I'm kinda not in the mood fer the stuff in the dining hall… so… hmm… oh! Let's head out fer sub sandwiches! I think yer gunna like them!"

Espio looked at Vector, but followed along with him to a sub sandwich shop only five minutes away from the school. While walking, Vector noticed the book in Espio's hand.

"Oh, ya like to read, Espio?" Vector asked. Espio looked up and noticed his roommate looking at his book. He held it out towards him.

"Thank ya."

Vector took the book as he looked around. It was all in Japanese, meaning he couldn't understand anything, but he still found it generous that Espio would let him see his book. The crocodile gave the book back to the chameleon.

"It was interestin'! I'll admit, I like to read sometimes too, but don't tell anyone on the team. They'll probably have mah head and provoke mah jock privileges, if ya know what I mean."

Vector winked at Espio as the chameleon burned the image of Vector winking at him in his mind, for some strange reason…

* * *

The two reptiles finally came up to the sandwich shop. Vector smacked his lips as he smelled the aroma of bread coming from inside.

"Well, whadda we waitin' fer?" he asked.

The two were served by a human girl named Maria (who was Headmaster Robotnik's younger cousin), and a koala named Barbi. The two females had mentioned while preparing their lunch that they also attended Mobius University; Maria taking a class for a field involving child and chao care, and Barbi on wildlife.

After some time, Barbi handed over the two reptiles' their food. Vector payed with his debit card and the two got their drinks. Much like yesterday, Espio got a bottled water while Vector went ahead and a got a soda. They found a seat and sat down on it, ready to start on their meal.

"Man, I'm starvin'…" Vector commented. "Coach had us out trainin' fer a while. Yeah, I kept up with everyone, but feels like all mah energy's gone. But hey, when yer in football, that's whacha gotta get used to."

Espio looked at Vector before looking at his sandwich; turkey with every kind of vegetable the sandwich shop had to offer. He watched the crocodile eat his sandwich and concluded that that's how these were eaten. The foreign exchange student picked it his sandwich and nibbled a bit from it. He liked the taste, and decided to try a bit more, going for a bigger bite this time.

"Is it good?" Vector asked, noticing Espio eating his sandwich. The fuchsia reptile didn't respond as usual, but it was visible that he enjoyed it.

From the corner of Vector's eye however, he saw a blue chameleon with a red vest and beret enter the shop. He looked familiar to the crocodile, however.

" _Wait a minute… it's that translator guy I saw Espio with on the first day!"_ Vector realized. The blue chameleon noticed Vector after he paid for his meal and walked up to him.

"Ah, you must be Espio's new mentor!" he said. "I don't think we've been properly introduced, even though I've seen you around. My apologizes."

The chameleon bowed. "My name is Valdez. I'm a friend of Espio's, and I've known his family for most of his life. Now, I assume you've been getting along with him, correct?"

"Sure I have! I may look big, bad, and scary, but I ain't a rude person." Vector responded.

"That's good to hear. Say, do you mind if I sit here since we're already taking?"

"Nope."

Valdez took a seat in front of Vector as Espio watched the two, finishing up his sandwich.

"So tell me, Valdez… ya seem to know Espio. Tell me things 'bout him, y'know, like what's he like when he's not all silent?" Vector asked.

"Truth be told, Vector, this is how Espio normally is. He usually prefers the silence, and often keeps quiet to himself." Valdez responded, starting on his sandwich.

"Why does he though?"

Valdez stopped chewing and swallowed what he had in his mouth. "I don't think you really know where Espio's really from. Yes he's from Northern Mobius, but he's actually from a part known as the "historic district".

"Historic district?"

"In these districts, the people living there haven't adjusted to modern times, and prefer it. If you went to one of these, it would feel like you went on a time capsule. But that's how they like it there. Since this is his first time in a place like this, naturally, Espio's going to be overwhelmed. Along with that, most of his family is like that anyway"

"Family? I didn't know he had any."

"Sure he does! A mother, and a younger sister. I've met them before and they're nice folks."

"Hm, interesting. So, Valdez… ya any more advice? Espio hasn't said much in the week since he's been here. I've been teachin' him English as usual, but when is he actually gunna start talkin' to me?"

"That, yes yes… I say be patient. Sooner or later, Espio will warm up to you, and he'll feel comfortable talking. Meanwhile, keep teaching him English. He's going to need it if he's going to survive your school."

After a few more minutes of talking, Valdez decided to take his leave. Since the two reptiles were already done with their meals, they had also decided to leave, returning back to Mobius U.

* * *

When Vector and Espio arrived back to their dorm, Vector plopped on the bed and sighed happily, placing his hands behind his head.

"That feels nice…" The crocodilian quarterback moaned. From the corner of his eye however, he saw that the trash bin by the desk was full. He grumbled before getting off the bed.

"Hold on, Espio. Lemme throw this trash away…"

Vector grabbed the plastic bag containing all the trash as well as the two reptiles' room key. He headed out the door and outside of the University, heading to a side where all of large trash compartments were. The large green reptile threw the trash bag into one of the bins before returning back to the dorm.

When he came back, Vector saw Espio sitting at his desk, reading the book he had earlier today. The chameleon looked at Vector as he came in. While Vector didn't think much of it, since he was used to it, he heard something that made him stop.

"Hello."

Vector turned his head sharply towards Espio, looking at him.

"W-What did ya say?"

Espio looked at Vector once again, softly repeating what he said.

"Hello."

Vector gasped as he walked up to his chameleon roommate.

"Oh… oh mah god… ya said yer first word in English!"

The crocodilian quarterback picked up Espio from his seat and hugged him tightly.

"I'm so proud of ya!"

Something about Vector being so happy of the thing he just did even brought a smile to Espio's face.

* * *

For most of the afternoon, Vector had Espio practice English some more, saying "hello" yet again, as well as some more words. Along with that, Vector had started to teach the foreign exchange student the English alphabet.

It took him back to his days of preschool, learning the alphabet and singing a tune along with his teacher and classmates. Now however, he was teaching what he learned to someone else.

"So remember, ya got A, B, C, D, E, F, G…" Vector lectured. Espio watched and listened carefully, entranced at the things his roommate was teaching.

However, it wasn't without some difficulties.

"Naw, Espio… this is a "card"." Vector said, holding his meal card for the dining hall. "Not "cerd." "Card". Try to say card."

"C…C… Cerd…"

"Uh-uh, Espio. Card. C-A-R-D. Ca-ard."

"C… Ca… Cerd…"

"Ugh…almost. At least yer gettin' there." Vector stretched. "Well, I'm ready fer some grub. All this teachin' has tired me out. Dinner?"

Espio nodded. In the week since he arrived, he seemed to have understood that dinner meant eating. And since he was hungry from all the learning he had done, what better way than to end off a day with food?

* * *

At the dining hall, Espio had gone with a hot soup while Vector piled his plate full of pieces of steak, as well as an energy drink. As the two began to dig in, the crocodilian quarterback decided he should use this time to teach Espio some new things.

"Alrighty, how 'bout ya learn somethin' new?" Vector said. "This is fer stuff involvin' eatin'. Now, we're in a "dinin' hall". That's where ya eat."

The crocodile patted his belly. "Ya feel yer stomach grumble? Then yer hungry. When yer hungry, ya want food. So naturally, ya say "I'm hungry." Try to say that."

Espio repeated the words Vector said in his mind. "I… I… I'm…"

"Gettin' warmer…"

"I'm… I'm… hun… hungr… I'm hungry…"

Vector gasped. "Ya did it! Say it again!"

"I'm… hungry…"

"Ha ha! New word learned! Great job, Espio!"

Vector gave Espio a pat on the back as the foreign exchange student felt nice to be praised, even if he didn't understand what Vector said almost all the time.

* * *

Since Vector had some homework he hadn't finished, the crocodile decided to start on it when he returned to his and Espio's dorm after dinner. Clicking a few buttons on his MP3 player, Vector played his music on full blast as he did his homework.

Espio looked over to his crocodilian roommate as he heard the music coming from the headphones. He was strangely mystified by the noise coming from them, as he had never seen them prior to meeting Vector. The chameleon walked up to Vector, listening to the music coming from his headphones.

From the corner of his eye, Vector noticed that Espio was staring at him. He put down his pen and looked up.

"Is there a problem, Espio?" he asked. Espio pointed to the crocodilian quarterback's headphones.

"Oh, these? Ya've never seen them, have ya? Wanna listen?"

Vector took off his headphones and held them out to Espio. The foreign exchange student softly grabbed it, looking at it like it was an alien object.

"Ya put it over yer ears, Espio." Vector explained. He moved closer to the fuchsia reptile and placed the headphones on for him.

"What kinda music ya like?"

Espio didn't respond as Vector flipped through his music choices. Knowing Espio and his life back in the historic district, he probably would prefer slow songs rather than what Vector usually listened to; upbeat, fast rock songs. The large green reptile found a song he often played whenever he wanted to relax and pressed play.

The music began to play into the headphones as Espio listened. He was entranced by the peaceful song, flashbacking to when he played a shamisen with his family on rather peaceful days.

When the song was over, Espio handed the headphones back to Vector.

"Whaddya think? Did ya like the song?" Vector asked. Espio nodded, seeming to get the "like" part.

"That's great to hear."

Vector plopped his pen down, finished with his work. He stretched as he yawned.

"Well, I'm beat. Damn homework wore me out fer some reason. Is there anythin' on TV?"

Vector looked towards the TV in the corner of the room, supplied by the school for all dorms a few days after everyone settled in. He grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. He flipped through all kinds of channels; local channels, sports channels, movie channels, etc.

He then came across a documentary showcasing various parts of Mobius. While Vector wasn't interested at first, he noticed that the narrator mentioned Northern Mobius.

"Hey, Espio. I think you might be interested in this."

Espio looked over his shoulder and joined Vector in his documentary watching. He saw the various locations of Northern Mobius, remembering all the places he had been to for his training. The crocodile heard the chameleon mutter under his breath.

" _Uchi…"_

"Hm? Whaddya say, Espio?"

Espio looked down at the ground as he felt a feeling he had never felt before: homesickness. Vector could tell that was the case in his expressions.

"Hey, I know things around here aren't like home. But trust me, it ain't that bad. Once ya get used to stuff around here, then yer gunna love it around here."

The foreign exchange student looked up at his roommate and weakly smiled. "Th… Thank you…"

"E-Espio?! Ya… Ya said another word in English!"

Espio felt his smile slowly increase as Vector gave him a pat on the back. "Good job!" he said.

* * *

Satisfied with Espio learning to speak English, knowing three new words (and one phrase), as well as content with his own performance during football practice, as well as finishing up all his homework, Vector decided that Sunday would be one of his "lazy days". Who knows? Perhaps he got to fool around with Knuckles and Mighty, or perhaps he could do something with Espio.

Either way, Vector thought about having fun the next day as it was time for lights out. As he climbed onto the bottom bunk, he looked at his roommate one last time before drifting off to sleep, not realizing that Espio was still awake, looking up at the night sky from out the window.


	3. Chapter 3

**(AN: Well hello again! It's been some time since Chapter 2 was posted, but I've been writing other stories. But hey, here's Chapter 3! Now, I actually got some reviews, which means so much to me, since I've never really gotten reviews! I guess here's my chance to answer them:**

 **Guest & mormar1 - I'm so glad that you're loving the story so far! Of course I'll be continuing!**

 **Stormyx - Why thank you! I'm happy to see that even if you don't like High School/College AU's, you're enjoying this one! Now, to answer some of your questions:**

 **1\. For those not in the U.S., our equivalent of Freshman, Sophomore, etc, College year, is First Year College, then Second, then what I can presume is Third and Forth. I wanted to clear that up for all my non-U.S. readers!**

 **2\. Nah, Charmy, and for that matter, any of the younger Sonic characters (I.E. Tails, Cream, Marine, Ray, Bean, etc) won't appear here. Who knows though? I might make a reference to them as some random kid in the future...**

 **3\. Actually, this is somewhat based on real life. If you don't know, I'm Hispanic-American, but my parents were born in Colombia, making Spanish their native language. Because of this, me and my brother have to help them pronounce and say English words. Some of the things you see Vector do and say are things me and my bro do with my parents (more-so the pronouncing words part)**

 **I hope these answered your questions!**

 **Anyway, before I head off and you can actually read the fic, well, happy 4th of July everyone!)**

* * *

The days of August soon came to an end as the start of September arrived. The temperature began to slowly get cooler and cooler as the leaves on the trees slowly changed color, signifying the soon coming of fall.

It was early into the night on the first Thursday of September, and Vector sat at the desk he and Espio shared; a half-eaten pizza and an energy drink from the dining hall by his side as the crocodile reviewed his notes. Tomorrow, he was taking his first test of the semester, and the crocodilian quarterback knew he had to study (as he had been since the professor announced the test), and to add insult to injury, tomorrow also marked the first game of the football season.

While Vector wasn't as worried about the game, he was more stressed about the test, as the large green reptile was never the world's best test taker, but at the same time, not the worst. As such, it was visible in the way he looked, flipped through page through page, and constantly jiggled his leg that he was stressed.

In that moment, the crocodile heard the door to his dorm open. He looked to the side and saw Espio coming into the dorm, placing his bag by the door.

"Hey there, Espio." Vector said.

"Hello, Vector." replied Espio.

In the days since Espio had learned his first word, Vector had become impressed that Espio had slowly begun learning more and more English as time went by Learning phrases, the names of objects, foods, etc, learning the crocodilian quarterback's name, even saying a complete sentence in English. Along with that, he had been teaching the foreign exchange student how to read and write in English.

"Tell me, did ya finish yer assignment I gave ya?"

Espio's "assignments" from Vector had been to write sentences in English. The chameleon walked over to his bag and pulled out a notebook, handing it to Vector. He opened the notebook and saw the progress Espio made.

"The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." Repeated ten times.

Vector was impressed on how neatly the fuchsia reptile wrote his letters, despite only knowing how to write in English for a short time.

"Alrighty, good job. Now, I want ya to read it to me." he said, hoping to get his mind off his studying. Espio walked up next to Vector.

"Do I need… chair?" Espio asked.

"Nah, ya can just scooch right in."

Vector shifted in his seat, allowing Espio room. The chameleon sat down, realizing this was the closest he had been near Vector. It didn't help that the crocodile's arm was touching Espio's own arm as he held up the notebook.

"Alrighty, say the sentence ya wrote down." Vector explained. Espio looked at the sentences as he slowly began.

"The quick… brown fox… jumps over… the lazy dog…"

"Good job, Espio! Now say it again."

"The quick brown fox… jumps over… the lazy dog…"

The two reptiles continued at it for a while, Espio saying the sentence over and over. It then proceeded to Espio reading a simple book chosen from Mobius U's large library. And finally, Espio's daily English lesson ended in Vector teaching the foreign exchange student new words, often accompanied by pictures.

When "Professor Vector" was finished, he assigned Espio to read from the book he had let him borrow. The crocodile soon stretched as Espio looked at him.

"You're… uneasy." Espio softly said.

"Huh? Whaddya mean?" Vector responded. Espio looked at him, and Vector knew he had no secrets to hide.

"I guess ya noticed huh? I'm just gunna let it all out: I got mah first test tomorrow, and not to mention, mah first football game. Heh heh, guess ya can say I'm stressed. No biggie, I'm gunna be fine!"

Vector sat on his bed, placing his snout on his head.

"Heh… fine…."

Espio could clearly see the problem and knew how to fix it. Sitting down next to Vector, he raised himself up as he began to massage the crocodilian quarterback's back.

"Espio?" Vector asked.

"Stressed… It's not good to be stressed…" Espio softly said. He could feel the muscle of Vector's back be much knotted as he continued to massage his roommate.

Vector felt all his stress and worries slowly disappeared as he sighed happily, soon interrupted by a soft moan when the chameleon relaxed a certain point.

"That feels niceee…" Vector commented.

Soon enough, Espio ended his massage.

"Negative things such as stress… are now gone." The fuchsia reptile said. The crocodile got up and stretched, feeling much more relaxed.

"Wow, I feel better now!" he exclaimed. "Thanks, Espio! I know I'm gunna ace that test, and win the game tomorrow with the guys on the team! Ya believe in me, right?"

Espio slowly nodded as Vector grinned, showing off his teeth.

"Yer a real pal, Espio. Alrighty, I'm gunna need to get all the energy I need tomorrow, so I'm gunna hit the hay. Ya can stay up, but try not to make much noise. And try not to stay up too late, okay?" said Vector.

"Understood." Espio replied. Vector took off his shirt and plopped himself into bed.

"Turn the light off, will ya?"

Espio did what Vector told him to as he began to stare at Vector. He took note of how muscular Vector's back was, as well as the spikes going down his back. Something about it mystified Espio. He tried not to let it bother him, as he decided to do some late night meditation before heading off to bed.

The chameleon took off his shoes as he walked over to the corner of the dorm, sitting criss cross as he closed his eyes, placing his hands together as his meditation began.

* * *

 **FRIDAY NIGHT**

"Anddd, that's a wrap ladies and gentleman! What a stellar performance from Mobius University on their first game of the season. This is KLAK 102.9, broadcasting live here at the Mobius U football field. We'll be right back after this commercial break."

Almost everyone at Mobius U came to the school's first football game that Friday night. Radio jockey's came to commentate the game as all kinds of Mobians supported their schools and their teams.

Amongst these were Espio, who sat on the bottom stand on Mobius U's side. Admittedly, he was only there to give Vector some support, as it was clear that he was uncomfortable with the large crowd. Despite that, and him not knowing anything about football, Espio somewhat enjoyed himself.

The chameleon looked out to the football field to see his roommate hugging his teammates for their performance, laughing with them too. Espio even felt happy for Vector in that moment.

When the crowd began to leave and the stands began to clear out, Espio thought it would be better to look for Vector. He walked on field (surprisingly, without anyone noticing he was there) and stood in front of the locker room where he had seen Vector enter before.

* * *

"Man, tonight was a great night, huh?" Knuckles asked, as he and Vector passed by well built, muscular men changing out of their uniforms.

"Agreed. We sure kicked ass tonight!" replied Vector. The echidna and crocodile went into the showers as they stripped off their own clothes.

"I thought we were gunna lose for a brief moment, but man, when Rotor tackled that guy at the last second, and you just sped off, I knew we were dominating Crisis City."

"Yeah, I dun even think I've ran that fast before. But hey, when ya got an entire game on yer shoulders, it's a natural reaction."

The two stepped into the showers, cleaning off the dirt off their bodies, and the worries and stresses that the successful game had given them. Vector relaxed immensely, remembering seeing Espio for a brief moment in the stands.

" _It was nice of him to come out; I thought he wasn't even gunna come."_ Vector thought.

* * *

Eventually, Vector and Knuckles soon came out from the locker room, wearing their normal attire as they were now all clean and fresh. Espio walked up to Vector.

"Hey there, Espio. Were ya waitin' fer me?" The crocodilian quarterback asked. Espio nodded in response.

"Heh, that's nice of ya. Well, it's gettin' late, but I ain't tired."

Just then, Rotor; the offensive tackler for team, walked out of the locker room.

"Yo, Vec, Knux, did you hear? They're having a huge party in the lounge room to celebrate today's win! You comin'?"

Vector shook his head. "Nah, Rotor. I ain't really in the mood fer partyin' right now."

"Same." replied Knuckles. "And I need to find Mighty. Heaven knows what he's doing right now.

"Oh, alright then. If anyone asks, I'll just tell 'em that you guys didn't feel that great."

"Sure sure, thanks fer coverin' fer us, Rotz."

The large walrus walked off as Vector looked back at Knuckles and Espio. "So, whaddya suppose we do? Catch a movie on TV? Head out somewhere for dinner?"

In that moment, the cell phone in Knuckles' pocket began to buzz. The red echidna pulled it out and checked the text he got.

"Oh my god…" he said.

"What? What is it? Vector asked.

"You will not believe this. Sonic's telling me to come by his dorm, says he has a surprise for us both."

"That blue hedgehog? Hm, sure, why not. Espio, ya wanna come?"

Espio thought over the decision before ultimately agreeing. "Yes." was all he said.

"Alrighty, then we know what we're doin'! Let's head off, boys!"

* * *

Finally coming to the dorm room after avoiding the party in the lounge, and eventually meeting up with Mighty, the red echidna knocked on the door as a blue hedgehog opened the door.

Sonic Hedgehog, more-so commonly dubbed by the students of Mobius U, "The Blue Blur", was probably one of the most well-known people around the school. The blue hedgehog was on the Mobius U's track team, and is famously known for setting every school record for all events involving running, beating some records that have been recorded long ago in the school's past.

"Yo! Nice to see you guys show up! Come on in!" he said.

Vector, Knuckles, and Mighty walked in as Espio looked around. The dorm was a little messy, but not too damaging. Sonic took note of the foreign exchange student and looked at him.

"Who's the chameleon kid?" Sonic asked.

"Oh, that's Espio. He's mah roomie." Vector explained. "He wanted to come as well, so treat him nice, or I'll be throwin' yer ass out the window if he even tells me ya've been messin' with him."

"Whoa ho ho, Vector! I'm not gunna do that!" Sonic said, shaking his hands to signify a "no" action. He looked at Espio.

"Hey there, Espio. You can come right in too. I'm Sonic, and I'm actually a friend of Vector, who' your roommate." Sonic introduced himself. He held out his hand as Espio remembered what to do. He took the track team member's hand and shook it.

"Hello… So-So… Sonic… My name is… E… Espio…" The chameleon said, clearly struggling to remember what to say for introductions.

"English ain't his first language, so be patient with him, alrighty?" Vector said.

"It's nice to meet you too, Espio." Sonic finally said. Espio sat down next to Vector on the floor.

"Well boys, you did a nice job today for your first game. To commemorate, I got someone to bring a little gift for you two." Sonic started, looking at Vector and Knuckles.

In that moment, a green hedgehog wearing a red vest, identified as Sonic's twin brother; Manic, walked into the dorm, holding a large bookbag. He shut the door behind him and locked it.

"Now, if anyone asks, don't tell anyone you got this from me." Manic began. He opened the bookbag and revealed many cans of beer.

"Whoa… where'd ya get that?" Vector said in awe.

"Having my sources helps a lot." Manic replied.

"I'll be. Hand me one of those right now, I think I need it!" Knuckles exclaimed, digging his hands into the bookbag and pulled out one of the cans. Vector, Sonic, Mighty, and Manic followed suite. The only person who didn't get a drink was Espio.

"Hey, doesn't Espio drink?" Mighty asked.

"I dunno, I never asked him. Yo, Espio, ya ever drank alcohol before?" Vector asked. Espio looked down at the ground, the word "alcohol" lingering in his mind. He remembered the day of his eighteenth birthday, drinking his first ever helping of sake surrounded by his mother, little sister, and now gone father. They all cheered as the chameleon consumed his drink, signifying his coming into adulthood.

The foreign exchange student returned back to reality. He shook his head and his hand.

"Not really…" Espio said. While the main reason was that he didn't drink period, he also believed in maintaining a clean and healthy body, and ramped consumption of alcohol would ruin it.

"Alrighty, whatever ya say. But I'm sure yer thirsty. I know ya probably didn't buy one of the drinks at the concession stands; damn things cost more than they should. Tell ya what, hey, Sonic? Got any water?

"Hm? Water? Oh yeah, plenty. They're in the fridge, all cool and everything."

Vector walked over to the fridge and pulled out a water bottle, handing to Espio. The chameleon bowed in response.

"Thank you…"

"Ya don't need to bow, Espio. Ya just sayin' "thank ya" means a lot."

Espio's look softly shifted, but understood what the crocodile meant.

Soon enough, everyone began to settle in, relaxing as they continued to drink their beverages. Suddenly, Sonic's stomach began to rumble.

"Someone's hungry. What do you suppose we get?" Knuckles asked.

"Pizza. Without a doubt." said Vector.

"Oh yeah, I'm in the mood for Pizza." added Mighty.

"Definitely." Manic said, pulling out his cell phone. "I'll call Pizza Mobius, what kind of pizza you all want?"

"Pepperoni" Everyone said in unison. The spiked green hedgehog nodded.

"Alright, pepperoni."

Espio looked confused when everyone began to discussion on Pizza. "Erm… Vector? What is… Pizza? You ate it before… but I don't know what it is…"

Vector almost spit out his beer. "WHAAA? Ya don't know what Pizza is?!"

"No…"

"Awh man, we're so givin' ya a slice! We can't let ya miss out on the best thing ever!"

* * *

After the pizza delivery man came by Sonic's dorm, and after everything was paid, plates were passed around as everyone got a slice.

"Dig in, boys!" Vector said. Espio looked at his slice, somewhat reluctant.

"What's wrong, Espio?"

"It looks very… greasy…" The fuchsia reptile said.

"Yeah, but it's still great! Ya just gotta try it!"

Espio grabbed the slice with his hands as he nibbled the pizza's tip. He then ate a bit more of the pizza as he pulled it back, some of the cheese hanging from his mouth. Espio chewed the pizza as he looked up at the ceiling.

"So? Whaddya think?" The large green reptile asked.

"It's… its good."

"See? What did I tell ya?"

For the next few minutes, everyone continued to eat their food as Sonic flipped through channels on TV. He eventually found a movie on TV and soon, everyone began to watch.

When the movie was over, Vector, Espio, Knuckles, and Mighty could see that Sonic and Manic were both fast asleep.

"Someone's drunk." The red armadillo joked. "They're gunna have a killer headache when they wake up tomorrow morning. But I think we should head out."

Knuckles, Mighty, Vector, and Espio got up from the floor, turned off the TV and the lights, and quietly crept out of the dorm room. The muscular red echidna stretched and yawned.

"Well, as exciting as today was, I'm ready to hit the hay. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm all sore tomorrow morning." Knuckles said.

"Yeah, don't worry Knuckles; I'll be there for you. We'll be heading out now, see ya guys tomorrow!" Mighty said. He and Knuckles left to their dorm, leaving Vector and Espio alone by Sonic's dorm room.

"Y-Yeah… Knux is right… let's head off fer bed…" Vector softly mumbled. In the way his eyes were drooped, and how he slurred his sentence, Espio could tell that the crocodile was tipsy. Vector slightly swayed back and forth as the two reptiles headed off to their dorm.

* * *

Finally reaching their dorm, Vector immediately collapsed into the bottom bunk, almost seeming like he passed out if it wasn't for his loud snoring. Espio looked at the sleeping crocodile and noticed that when he was asleep, he looked rather… cute…

The chameleon averted his eyes away from Vector as he climbed up to the top bunk. He didn't bother to take off most of his clothes as Espio placed the covers over him.

"Vector… I want to know… more about you…" The foreign exchange student whispered into the dark night. He turned over his head on his pillow and shut his eyes, falling asleep soon just like his roommate below him.


	4. Chapter 4

**(AN: A new day, and a new chapter from me! I wanna give thanks to jade-harleys on tumblr for helping me with proofreading! She caught a lot of stuff that I didn't catch! (Then again, I write these chapters really late so :P)**

 **I'm actually excited to start on the next few chapters, cause I think here's where the story starts to pick up. Anyway, I should stop talking, and let you guys enjoy!)**

 **Also, PROPS TO THIS FOR BEING THE SHORTEST CHAPTER SO FAR!**

* * *

If it had been a summer month, Vector would have had no reason to complain.

But since it was towards the end of September, and close the start of October, the crocodile complained.

"Why the hell is it so goddamn hot?!" Vector exclaimed. He grabbed his shirt with two of his fingers and moved it back and forth, giving him cool air. But that still wasn't enough for the crocodile, even with the fan by the edge of the desk turned on. The weatherman for the station Vector had on the radio came on; announcing that today was exceptionally hot, temperatures reaching almost 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36 Celsius).

The crocodilian quarterback tried to concentrate on the homework he still hadn't done, but with the heat of the room, Vector found himself getting more and more distracted.

" _I still dun understand why they can't put A.C. in every place here…"_ Vector thought.

Earlier in the morning, he had gone down to Sally's R.A. dorm to complain about the heat, only to see a large mass of people there. A taped note was on Sally's door, which read:

" **Look: I know it's hot, but the issue is, if we put air conditioning into every room in the building, we could be racking up electricity bills like crazy, and who knows? We also can't risk the electrical hazard.**

 **I wish I could do something, but I can't. You're all adults, and I'm sure this isn't going to be the worst case of heat ever. Now, please leave me alone for the time being. I've already had enough people yell at me this morning.**

 **-Sally"**

And with that, Vector knew he had to deal with the blistering heat.

He looked over to the corner of the room to see Espio, eyes closed as he seemed to be relaxed.

"Yo, Espio. Is this heat gettin' to ya?" Vector asked. Espio nodded.

" _How does he do that…?"_ Vector proceeded to think. He groaned as he used his homework assignment as a makeshift fan.

"Gawd… I'm 'bouta collapse at any second." The large green reptile complained. "I just feel like throwin' a bucket of water 'n ice on mah head. Or maybe head to the pool in the rec center… yeah… that seems like a perfect idea. But that place is probably full… dammit…"

"Don't think about heat." Espio quietly stated. Vector looked behind him.

"What did ya say?" he responded.

"You are letting the heat consume your mind."

"Consume mah mind?"

"You are thinking about it. If you do not concentrate on the heat, you will not be bothered by it."

" _What does he mean bothered?"_ Vector thought. He then looked at what Espio was wearing; a dark black, long sleeved sweater, and what seemed to be black, skirt like pants. Yet, even if the chameleon was sweating, he seemed to not be bothered by the heat, especially since he was wearing all black.

" _Maybe he is right… maybe I shouldn't let it get to me."_

Vector got up from his seat and stretched.

"Imma take a quick break. Since it's still 'round the lunch hour, Imma go get me a water bottle. Ya want anythin', Espio?"

The foreign exchange student shook his head. Vector went to the door and opened it, closing it behind him.

* * *

When Vector returned, he came back with more than just a water bottle. He also came back with a pack of fruit gummies, chips, and a taffy bar.

"Mah huge damn appetite's gunna make me gain a shit tonna weight one of these days…" he commented to himself. "But hey, that's what the rec room's fer."

The crocodile sat back down on his chair, and took a gulp of his water.

"Alrighty, I'm all relaxed, lemme see if I can get this done."

As Vector worked on his assignment, he took the advice that Espio gave him. Surprisingly, he found that even as he sweated, he worked quite fast. And in no time flat, he was done with his assignment.

"Whoa, Espio, yer advice actually worked!" Vector said. Espio looked up at his crocodilian roommate.

"See? It is not that hard to stop focusing on what… negative things exist in life."

Vector turned his head in confusion. "Huh… okay then." He then stretched in his chair. "Well, I dunno what I can do fer the rest of the day."

It was then that Vector suddenly remembered something.

"Oh crap! Coach told me to come to his office! Dammit! How could I almost forget-"

"Calm. Remain calm." Espio suddenly said. Vector took a deep breath.

"Whew… yer right, Espio… Gotta stay calm. Wasn't the first time I was late to a meetin' of his. I can still go. Hey, ya wanna come with me? Beats stayin' in a dorm all day."

Espio surprisingly agreed and followed after Vector.

* * *

The "meeting" Vector had with Coach Augustus in his "smaller" office was them discussing team formations and plans for the next game on the first Monday of October. Since it was mainly the crocodilian quarterback and the large polar bear coach talking, Espio got to look around the locker room and the office.

"Real treasure that medal huh? I got that when I played football here." Coach Augustus said as the chameleon looked up at a medal hung on the wall.

"If you want, I can show you everything else I've got here."

"I… do not mind." Espio replied. When Vector and Coach Augustus were done with their talk, the large polar bear showed Espio everything he had hung up on the walls; from trophies, certificates, pictures, etc.

"Yeah, ya can imagine the face on coach's face durin' the finals." Vector commented as Coach Augustus showed Espio a picture of Mobius U's victory at the football finals against Empire City.

"Hey, I wasn't the one who tripped midway into the game." Coach Augustus said in an intimidating voice.

"Touché." replied Vector, obviously defeated.

After spending almost three hours in Coach Augustus' office, Vector and Espio were ready to go.

"Hey kid, you're a real champ listening to everything." Coach Augustus said to Espio. "This lug zones out a lot when we're meeting." He then proceeded to say, obviously talking about Vector. "Hold on, lemme see if I have something here…"

Digging around in the various drawers in his desk, he then found what he needed. Coach Augustus took out a wrapped and folded blue Mobius U team jersey and handed it to Espio.

"You've been supporting us by coming to our practices, and you're such a great friend with Vector, that well… I'm now appointing you to honorary member of Mobius U's team." he said. Espio looked at the jersey more in-depth. It was clear that the jersey was far too large for him, and it smelled a little strange. In spite of that, Espio found the gift generous.

"Th-Thank you…" The chameleon said. He felt his tail curl up as he felt himself becoming flustered.

"Heh heh, looks like I embarrassed your little friend, Vector." said Coach Augustus.

"Hey, don't feel bad, Espio!" said Vector. "Yer one of us now!"

" _One of us…"_ Espio thought. He started to feel rather… happy… being accepted.

* * *

Returning back to their dorm, Vector and Espio noted on how late it was getting. As they went through the doors, Vector looked at the elevator by the stairs.

"Let's take a little shortcut, Espio." said the crocodilian quarterback. He pushed the button by the elevator as the doors opened. The foreign exchange student's eyes felt like they were about to pop out as he shuddered, noting the inside of the elevator and how small it was.

"Espio? Ya gettin' in?" asked Vector. Espio looked surprised, but then nodded. He then went inside of the elevator as the doors shut behind the two reptiles.

As peaceful music could be heard along with the music coming from Vector's headphones, Espio felt himself becoming jittery. The thought "I don't like this" repeated in his mind over and over.

In what seemed like irony, the elevator all of sudden stopped. The light in the elevator went out as the two reptiles stopped in their tracks.

"Huh?" said Vector, turning down his music and taking off one side of his headphones. "Oh don't tell me, the power went out, didn't it?"

As Vector sighed in frustration, Espio shuddered once again as he looked around the dark elevator. He could feel his claustrophobia coming to life, ready to strike fear into his heart.

The chameleon froze up, feeling chills go up his spine. It felt like everything in the world wasn't moving, even if the crocodile was right by him. Espio sat on the floor and put his arms around his knees as he bit his lip. He felt a knot in his stomach, almost as if the fuchsia reptile was about to be sick. The foreign exchange student attempted to swallow, only for it to be hard to do so.

His brain felt like it was moving at a thousand miles per hour as he began to shake hard, his face looking like he had seen a ghost. Espio whimpered as Vector turned around hearing him.

"Espio? Are ya alright?" asked the crocodile. He saw the fear on Espio's face, and realized what was going on.

"Yer havin' an anxiety attack, Espio… Take a deep breath and try to calm down."

As Espio began to breathe in then breathe out, Vector looked at the scared chameleon.

" _I never knew he had claustrophobia…"_ He thought.

Espio began to feel light headed and dizzy as he rubbed his head. It didn't help that it started to get exceptionally hot in the elevator, culminating in the two reptiles sweating like crazy.

"Espio… I dun want this to seem awkward… awh, what the hell, c'mere." Vector said. He hugged his roommate, rubbing his back.

"Shh… everythin's gunna be alright, Espio… The power's gunna come back on soon…"

Espio felt his scales becoming red as his roommate… no… his friend, was comforting him. Espio buried his face into Vector as the crocodilian quarterback continued to console the chameleon.

" _I never knew how fragile Espio could be, well, until this happened…"_ Vector thought.

After a few more moments of comforting, the lights soon came back on as the elevator soon continued its track back up. Vector let go of Espio as the door opened, revealing Knuckles and Mighty. The echidna and armadillo were flabbergasted at the sight.

"Vector?! Espio?! Did you guys get stuck in the power outage?!" They said together.

"Yeah, why? How'd they solve it?" replied Vector.

"Sally's saying because of how hot it was today, the heat must have messed up the school's electrical systems. They were able to fix the problem though, but man, having to get stuck in an elevator seems like it'd be the worst." said Mighty. "Anyway, me and Knuckles are gunna see if we can get into the pool. I was thinking of inviting you, but I'm sure you're probably done with elevators just for now."

"Hell yeah, man. Me and Espio are gunna go head off back to our dorm. Ya two have fun."

Knuckles clicked his tongue and pointed two fingers at Vector as the two reptiles exited the elevator and had their spot taken by Knuckles and Mighty. The door closed as Vector and Espio looked at it.

"Well, that was an experience." said Vector. "Wasn't seein' that comin', but hey."

Speaking of experiences, Vector looked at Espio, who had his eyes closed, and didn't want to look at Vector.

"Espio?" The large green reptile asked.

"Vector… I-I'm… sorry… I made a fool of myself…"

Vector responded by playfully hitting Espio's shoulder. "Hey, don't be sorry. Claustrophobia ain't somethin' to be ashamed of. A lot of people have it."

"I know… but I feel… weak… when it consumes me… Do you understand what I say?"

"Loud 'n clear, but Espio… ya ain't weak, yer a strong person. Ya somehow managed to survive almost two months here only knowin' the English I taught ya. If that ain't the sign of someone strong, I dunno what is."

Espio's crocodilian roommate had a point. He had been doing well around Mobius U despite only knowing English for a short amount of time. Unlike the first day, he could now finally hold conversations with people, and could communicate with his professors. The chameleon turned away from Vector.

"Let's go…" he solemnly said. He walked to the dorm as Vector followed behind him.

However, the large green reptile's mind had a lingering thought back to the elevator incident.

" _Man… Espio feels so soft when ya hug him. Then again, I haven't really hugged someone in a while…"_

* * *

When night fell, Espio watched Vector bop his head to the loud music blaring out of his headphones. Normally the foreign exchange student ignored it for the most part, but Espio couldn't sleep. Instead his mind was returning back to what happened on the elevator.

" _I never wanted Vector to know about my weaknesses…"_ he thought. Truth be told, while it was hard for the fuchsia reptile to be intimidated, there was something about Vector's large and muscular frame that tore into him. Why was he so different from everyone else he met?

" _Tch, I'm thinking too far into this…"_

Yet, as Espio rolled over in his bed, he rolled back again to watch Vector. Since the crocodile had his shirt off like he did on most nights, Espio saw Vector's detailed back muscles, and the red spikes trailing down his head, then his back, and finally, his tail, as he continued to jam to his music.

"Something so… mesmerizing… about that…" muttered Espio. He rubbed his head before looking up at the ceiling.

" _Vector… I shall repay you one day for your help today… I'll make you a happy crocodile… and I shall take my word to the grave…"_

Espio's eyes soon shut as Vector continued to be mesmerized in his music, unaware of the thoughts of his roommate.


	5. Chapter 5

**(AN: It's that time again! Time for a new chapter!**

 **Don't really** **got much to report on, other than the person who's making the cover image is about half-way done. So I'm hoping by the next few chapters, the new cover image will be here.**

 **Anyway, that should be all for new updates, time for you to start reading.)**

* * *

The green leaves on the trees now became red and yellow leaves, some already beginning to fall off from trees. The grass went from a luscious green to a dull, almost grayish color. Nights became longer, and days became shorter. Not to mention, days became chillier, and the sky became filled with grey clouds rather than blue sky.

It was obvious to the students of Mobius U that October has arrived, and fall was soon coming. With professors piling more homework and tests than they did a few months back, it seemed like a madhouse of people trying to finish their assignments, some even staying up all night just to finish them.

It was a cool morning on the first Wednesday of October, and as the sun rose, Espio opened his eyes. He stretched and yawned, getting out of his bunk. The chameleon had notably become a bit more silent since the ever-so fateful elevator incident back in September, but today, seeing Vector asleep, he wanted to change things up a bit.

Watching the crocodilian quarterback sleep, the foreign exchange student remembered how Vector slept like a log, and that it would take some time for him to wake up. Surprisingly however, the large green reptile soon woke up, looking at Espio.

"Y-Yo! W-What's up, m-man?" Espio said. Vector looked at Espio, eyes wide open.

"The fuck ya just say to me?" Vector blankly replied.

"T-That's how you say hello, isn't it?"

Vector continued to look at Espio.

" _H-He… listened to how I greeted Knux and Mighty… and used it on… me…"_ Vector thought.

"It is but… maybe fer the best, ya don't use those. People will probably think yer crazy. Just stick to what yer normally used, alrighty?"

"Oh… okay then…" replied Espio.

Vector looked at the alarm clock by the desk, which read "7:45 A.M."

"Looks like we got some time before class. C'mon, Espio, let's get some grub fer breakfast. But before that, we should get changed first, shouldn't we?"

After changing into what they would usually wear, Vector and Espio left their dorm.

* * *

"Knux? Knux? Who ya lookin' at, Knux?" Vector said, snapping his fingers to get Knuckles' attention. The red echidna stopped and looked at Vector.

"O-Oh! Sorry, Vector. I was looking at her. Y'know, HER." Knuckles said. Him, Vector, and Mighty turned around to see Rouge; the bat girl in Vector and Espio's class, sitting down for breakfast.

"Unf. Smokin' hottie that Rouge." Knuckles then said, biting his lip.

"Can't you tell? Knuckles has this huge thirst for Rouge! He's made me come along to him to every game played by the female volleyball team! And even then, he was just looking at Rouge the entire time!" Mighty said, teasing Knuckles. The defensive tackler grew red in the face.

"Oh yeah?! Well let's not forget who you're into!"

Knuckles moved his head over to a table where three different colored birds sat, a small, green hawk and a large, chubby yet muscular grey albatross males, and a medium sized, purple swallow female. These three were known individually as Jet, Storm, and Wave, however, everyone knew them as the only people apart of Mobius U's unofficial skateboarding team, calling themselves the "Babylon Rogues".

Mighty looked at Wave, her legs on the table as she listened to Jet talk.

"Mighty's been ogling at that swallow girl for quite some time." Knuckles said.

"H-Hey!"

"That's revenge for teasing me about Rouge, so there."

Vector rolled his eyes. _"Just like kids, these two. Gawd, but they're great ass friends."_

"O-Ok… so maybe Wave is cute. A-A little…"

"You mean a lot, dontcha?"

"Alrighty ya two, I think that's enough teasin' 'bout crushes 'n stuff." Vector said. Espio looked up from his breakfast, not wanting to join in the conversation.

"Well, what about you, Vector? Got your eyes on anyone?" Knuckles asked. Vector placed his finger on his snout, thinking of a response.

"Nah, not really." he eventually replied, returning back to eating his breakfast.

"Oh come on, don't be shy. We won't make fun of you." Mighty said.

"I'm serious, no one."

"I dunno, Vex." said Knuckles. "I've seen Julie-Su looking around in your direction on the field."

Vector groaned. Julie-Su was probably one of the more well-known cheerleaders in the school, often known for being the "gossip queen" (as everyone said she was). That, and Vector knew the truth behind the cheerleaders "looking" at the players on the field.

"Look, Knux, ya know how the cheerleaders are. They wanna get in yer pants one night, then they act like ya actually love 'em. Besides, Julie-Su ain't one to get into a serious relationship."

"Yeah but I dunno, love might be in the air for you two!" Mighty teased. Him and Knuckles high-fived as the crocodile scoffed. The chameleon looked at Vector, feeling bad for him. He knew he probably wasn't looking for someone to be with, yet had pressure from his peers.

"E-Erm, Vector? I'm not hungry… isn't our time for class soon?" Espio asked.

"Yeah, seems like it." Vector replied, looking at his watch. "C'mon, Espio. We'll leave these bozos by themselves to laugh themselves a new one."

As Vector and Espio got up, Knuckles stopped him.

"Hey, Vec, before you head off, text me once your class is done, alright?" he said.

"Hm? What fer?"

"You'll see."

Vector shrugged as him and Espio threw away their scraps and headed out from the dining hall.

* * *

After class was done, Vector and Espio walked out of classroom while the crocodile got out his cell phone and texted Knuckles.

" _class is done. what u want?"_

" _well, me and mighty wanna know if you wanna hit up the rec center. since next class doesn't start for a while, and people seem to be here in between class breaks, why not?"_

" _hm, sure. mind if I bring espio?"_

" _sure thing."_

"Hey, Espio, let's take a little field trip to a place I dun think ya haven't seen yet."

"Hm? Where?"

"To the Rec Center! Knuckles invited us there fer our break."

"Us? You mean, me too?"

"Yup! He said it's fine to join! C'mon, Imma get a pair of gym clothes back at the dorm before we head out."

* * *

After the crocodile got everything he needed, Espio followed Vector down the stairs then through various doors, heading outside of the building they were in to another building to the far off of the school.

Upon opening the doors to the Rec Center, Espio almost had to take a step back in surprise. The room was entirely massive, almost spanning two football fields full of different kinds of exercise equipment.

"Heh, someone's shocked. This ain't all if ya wanna know. There's also the indoor pool, the giant boxin' ring, indoor tennis and racquetball courts, and that's just the tip of the iceberg."

As Vector headed on inside, Espio continued to look around the room, feeling like he needed several heads to properly see everything. Various athletes and common mobians of all different shapes, species, and sizes were on what seemed to be weight lifting machines. Others were all on other kinds of equipment Espio had never seen or heard of.

Upon reaching the part of the room that had rows and rows of barbells, passing by Storm, the albatross that Vector and Espio had seen at breakfast that morning, the two reptiles' finally encountered Knuckles and Mighty.

"There you are, was wondering if you forgot this place existed." Knuckles said. Vector rolled his eyes.

"I've been here plenty o' times, Knux. I ain't that hollow headed." replied the crocodile.

"Now now, we're here to work out, not to argue over silly things." Mighty said. "Don't worry, Vector, we saved you a spot, and we got the weight you always use."

"Nice, thanks ya two. Now, let's get started."

Knuckles, Vector, and Mighty all got on separate benches as they rubbed their hands together before picking up a barbell, beginning to count reps. Espio simply watched the three athletes work out.

"W-What shall I do, Vector?" he asked. Vector placed his barbell back in its place as he raised himself up.

"Oh yeah, sorry, Espio, I didn't want it to seem like ya were gunna do nothin'. Well, I dun think bench pressin's a good idea. After all, I dun wanna see ya gettin' hurt. So if you wanna work out, how 'bout ya find somethin' more yer league, okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"If somethin' looks interestin' to ya, try it. And be sure to ask someone fer help if ya don't understand somethin', they'll gladly give it to ya."

The chameleon nodded as he walked off, looking for something "interesting". He passed by various exercise bikes before finding a corner of the room that had five large targets by the wall, and a rack full of bows and arrows with a suction cup.

Walking up to it, he saw a group of five mobians. Three of them, a brown sparrow, a large brown rat, and a large black quail with a lute on his back, were shooting at the targets with the bows and arrows. The other two not participating were a light brown deer, and a female white rabbit.

The foreign exchange student watched the archers for some time before the deer spotted Espio.

"Bow, it seems you have a fan of sorts." Espio could clearly hear the deer say. The sparrow, most presumably named Bow, walked up to Espio as the other four followed behind him.

"Hey there! I don't think I've seen your face around here. What's your name?" he asked. Espio quickly remembered how to respond to that question from all the times he practiced it with Vector.

"E-Espio."

"Espio? Huh, cool name! I should introduce myself, shouldn't I? I'm Bow!"

Bow held out his hand as Espio shook it.

"These guys are some of my friends." The sparrow said, pointing behind him at the four mobians. "The deer is Buck, the quail is Alan, the rat's Munch, and the rabbit's Thorn."

"I-It's nice to meet you all." Espio said.

"It is too, Espio." said Alan. A moment of silence sprang between the group and Espio.

"Erm… what are you doing?"

There was a bit of a shock between the five as they quickly whispered to each other. Bow put on a smile and said "Archery! It's probably the greatest sport there is! Everyone these days seems to be into all this other crap that they don't give it a chance. You heard of archery?"

Espio shook his head.

"Awh, that's not good to hear. Still, we'll be willing to teach you!"

"I-I just never heard of it, and I don't know what it is, so I don't think I'll do well…"

Munch looked at Espio strangely. "Don't think you'll do well and you don't know what archery is? Say… you're not from around here aren't you?"

It was then Thorn piped up. "You didn't know? I can't believe you guys didn't realize that Espio here's the transfer kid from Northern Mobius! He hangs around that crocodile on the football team cause like, he's his mentor."

"Are you really?" asked Bow. Espio nodded in response.

"Hey, that's cool! It's nice to have great connections. I dunno if you've seen him around here, but there's a green hawk that goes by the name of Jet. He's actually my cousin! Man, it was a complete shocker to see him here, considering how I haven't seen him in years."

Espio's mind shifted to the last person at the table with the three birds, the green hawk there had to most likely be Jet.

"Ah… I see. Well… I think I shall go now…" The chameleon said.

"Sure thing! Say, it was nice meeting you, Espio!"

Espio nodded and waved slightly before walking away from the group of archers. He continued his trail around the Rec Center, looking for something to do while Vector, Knuckles, and Mighty continued to lift weights.

It was then when Espio saw the treadmills and the various people running on it that he was curious. The chameleon was a fast runner, and since most of his own exercises were cardiovascular, he was interested.

Getting on one, he was soon confused at how the treadmill worked. He looked around at the various mobians surrounding him and concluded that he had to run on it. Taking off his geta shoes, Espio began to move, but found that the sort of material wasn't moving at all. The fuchsia reptile became extremely confused. How did everyone else get theirs moving, but he couldn't?

It was then at that moment, a lavender cat wearing a navy blue shirt and white shorts walked up to Espio.

"Hey, I think you might be having a bit of an issue here. Need help?" she said. Espio nodded, and pointed to the bottom of the treadmill.

"It… it won't move."

The cat moved closer to the front of the treadmill and moved a small little handle up. The treadmill began to move as Espio was caught off guard, but quickly got back on his feet. As he continued to walk, the cat looked at him amusingly.

"Foreign exchange kid I presume? I've heard about you. Don't worry, I know treadmills might seem like a new concept, but trust me, if you ever need help, I'm always here."

"Th-Thank you… erm…"

"Blaze. The name's Blaze."

"Y-Yes… thank you, Blaze…"

"Yeah yeah, listen, a bit of advice when you're on the treadmills. If you wanna start speeding up, move the little handle more up. Don't go too fast though; I don't want you to fly into a wall or something."

"You know a lot about this…"

"What can I say? I'm like an RA of sorts to the Rec Center."

Blaze walked off as Espio continued to run on the treadmill. The chameleon felt a cool breeze as he felt himself sweat after some time later. Yet even if the treadmill was something he had never seen before, he enjoying running on it.

After even more time, Vector, Knuckles, and Mighty walked up to Espio.

"Looks like someone found something they liked." Knuckles said. Espio nodded.

"I find this quite… *huff* enjoyable" he said. Espio lowered the lever as the treadmill came to a halt. He only took a few seconds to catch a bit of breath, but was perfectly fine afterwards.

"Well boys, it was a nice workout today!" Vector exclaimed. He stretched as Espio saw his biceps slowly flex. "I'm gunna head to the showers. I really need it. Whadda 'bout ya two?"

"Nah, the showers here are probably crowded. We'll just use the one on our floor." Mighty said.

"Yup, and that should be that. We're gunna head off now. See you guys later!" Knuckles said. The echidna and armadillo headed off out of the Rec Center, leaving Vector and Espio behind.

"C'mon, Espio, let's go."

* * *

The two reptiles were surprised to see that the showers were completely empty. Taking towels with them, Vector and Espio went into individual stalls and stripped out of their clothing. They turned the valve on the wall as water came out from the shower head.

Espio relaxed as he felt the hot water spray onto his back. He hadn't recalled a time where a bath felt incredibly refreshing, but right now, it certainly was.

Once Espio was done, he noted that the crocodile was still washing himself up. Grabbing the towel he had hanged up, Espio dried himself up before wrapping it around his waist. He sat on a stone counter and waited for some time for Vector to finish. To occupy himself however, the chameleon looked around the shower area.

"This place looks very clean…" observed Espio.

As he continued to look around, Espio heard Vector's shower come to an end, however this didn't distract him. It wasn't until he looked back did Espio come to a complete stop when he saw what was in front of him.

Standing in front of him was Vector, also having a towel on his waist, plenty of water still on him. Espio stared at Vector, watching water trickle down his muscular body as the towel was the only thing he had on. His tail swinged back and forth as he walked over to his duffle bag.

Espio didn't know how distracted he was until he heard Vector's voice.

"Espio? Are ya alright?"

The foreign exchange student quickly snapped back to reality.

"E-Erm… yes…"

"Aren't ya gunna get changed?

Espio nodded as he walked over to his clothes. Yet, as he changed, something tugged at his scales. Why was he looking at Vector when he came out of the shower?

The fuchsia reptile tried not to let it bother him. His mother always taught him that if something confused him, he shouldn't let it "consume" him.

And so, Espio decided to not let what happened get into his mind.

* * *

 **LATER THAT NIGHT**

Espio had his notebook open in front of him as he reviewed his notes. Tomorrow was a test for one of his classes, and the chameleon knew to study well. He had even gotten Vector to help him with his studying.

And speaking of Vector…

The crocodile was listening to the radio on the ground, tuning in on different stations. It was then that Vector felt a vibration in his pocket. Taking out his phone from his pocket, he checked the message he gotten.

" _hey vector! there's actually gunna be a huge halloween party on the 31_ _st_ _! you coming? – mighty"_

Vector raised himself up and walked over to Espio.

"Yo, Espio. There's actually gunna be a Halloween party on the thirty-first. I wanted to know, ya wanted to come?" he asked. Espio looked up from his notes.

"What's a p-party?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot ya never been to one, have ya?"

Espio shook his head.

"Don't worry, I'll tell ya the details when it gets close to the date. But trust me; I think we'll have a good time."

" _A good time…"_ Espio thought.

"Okay…"

"Alrighty! I'm sure we're gunna have a good time!"

Vector went in his bunk as Espio resumed to reviewing his notes.

"A good time with Vector… I'm sure we'll have a good time…" Espio said to himself, smiling to himself.


	6. Chapter 6

**(AN: And guess who's back for a new chapter! I've finished this chapter a few days ago, but my proofreader was gone for a while, but now she returned today, and proofread everything! So we can go back on schedule!**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed that bit of Vector fanservice last chapter ;). This chapter? Oh man, someone of you may not like what's coming, but I guess that depends on what your ultimate reaction is. What happens exactly? Well, you're the readers, you gotta find out :P.**

 **One last warning, you might have noticed that this fic is rated "T". There is gunna be quite a lot of cussing this chapter, and for what happens towards the end of the chapter. I figured I'd warn you in advance before someone complains :v.)**

* * *

"Ya serious, Knux? Ya really are gunna dress up fer this thing?"

"Hey, it's a Halloween party, I'm probably gunna get wasted as fuck, might as well look good in something while I'm at it."

"Ha ha! Ya stuck up asshole! Only ya would dress up!"

Vector and Knuckles joked and teased as they were in the boy's locker room after practice. Since many home and away games were won, it was only natural that Coach Augustus would have everyone working twice as hard since the qualifications for the championship against schools all over Mobius were coming soon.

However, everyone's stress soon diminished as the time drew near for Mobius U's Halloween party. Last year, when Vector, Mighty, and Knuckles had gone, they found themselves having an extraordinary time. Now with Espio, things would get even better from there.

"So Vex, what are your plans for the Halloween party?" asked Knuckles as the muscular football players entered the showers.

"Eh, probably gunna hang with Espio there. After all, I want his first time there to be great." The crocodile replied.

"Naturally of course. We gotta show him what kind of parties we have here."

"Agreed."

The two continued to shower, conversing along with the rest of their peers about the party.

* * *

When Vector returned back to the dorm, it was 6:30 PM; only about an hour until the party began. Espio was sitting criss cross on the floor, not moving, at least, until Vector walked in. The chameleon turned around and quickly got up.

"Hello, Vector. W-Was practice today hard?" he asked.

"Heh, ya betcha. Coach's been stressin' 'bout the qualifications. He really wants to win that title again this year. But hey, tonight let's not get that to our heads. Ya know what tonight is, right?"

Espio shook his head. "No…"

"Tonight's the night of the Halloween party! And ya said ya wanted to join me!"

"That… is right…" Espio said, remembering his promise. As Vector put his stuff on the ground, the foreign exchange student spoke up.

"Um… Vector? What is… H-Halloween?"

"Oh that's right! I keep forgettin' ya don't know 'bout stuff where we live!" Vector said. He turned around and looked at Espio. "Well, it's different dependin' on how old ya are. Fer kids, Halloween's 'bout dressin' up in costumes, goin' door to door, sayin' "trick or treat", and adults give ya candy. Course, now as adults, Halloween's an excuse to party the hell outta yer socks, get wasted, and hell, maybe even get lucky."

Vector opened the mini fridge and pulled out a soft drink can, opening it and taking a gulp. He looked back at Espio and winked at him.

"If ya know what I mean of course."

"I see now…" Espio said. However, one part still lingered in his mind.

" _Dressin' up in costumes."_

"Do we… have to dress up for this?"

"Hm? Oh, nah. Ya don't have to, but a lot of people do."

This gave Espio an idea.

* * *

Around 7:20, Espio announced that he was going to be away for a little bit.

"Alrighty, but hurry will ya? I ain't gunna miss this party without ya!" Vector said. Espio hid his object into his large shirt and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

It was then less than a minute later that Espio knocked. Vector got up from the chair and walked to the door, opening it.

"Well took ya a really short time, huh? Why did ya even take that long-"

"I'm ready to go, Vector."

Vector looked down at Espio before shaking his head playfully.

"Ya damn asshole."

Espio was wearing the jersey that Coach Augustus gave the fuchsia reptile a while back. Much like when Espio checked it out when the large polar bear gave the chameleon the blue jersey, it was far too large for him, extending down to his knees. Yet, Vector felt quite amused seeing Espio wearing that.

"Do you like? I wanted to wear it, since your coach said… I was a part of your team…"

"Oh mah god, Espio… sometimes ya crack me up." Vector said, chuckling. "But nah, seriously, ya look… great in that. C'mon, let's head to the party now. I'm sure someone's gunna be proud to see the team gettin' spirit outside of games."

And yet, as Vector and Espio left their dorm and closed the door behind them, the large green reptile could only stare at Espio wearing the oversized jersey.

"Man… Espio shouldn't be this… cute wearin' that…"

* * *

"Whaddya even supposed to be, Knux?"

"This? …to be honest, I'm not sure myself… I thought the sports tape looked cool…"

Knuckles looked around at his arms, which were covered in sports tape. Mighty, dressed as a Rambo-wantabe, laughed.

"You're just you, Knuckles. Nothing much has changed."

"Why you!"

Mighty laughed as the red echidna began to chase after the armadillo. Vector sighed as he facepalmed.

"That's how it is with these two… Anyway, Espio, ya havin' a fun time?"

"Hm?" Espio said, looking up at Vector. "Oh, yes. It's certainly enjoyable."

"See? Told ya ya'd have fun!"

It certainly was an experience right now. All around, the lights were now flashing in multicolors; music was playing from various boomboxes all around the place. Mobians were chatting, dancing, fooling around, or doing all sorts of crazy and nonsensical things. Vector could spot Sonia; Sonic and Manic's twin sister and the rest of her gymnastics buddies holding one of her friend's pigtails as she vomited out of a window.

"College parties sure are somethin', huh?"

Espio lowered himself slightly. The amount of people began to slightly worry him.

"Y-Yeah…"

"And speaking of parties, there you two are!"

Manic rolled up to Vector and Espio, dressed as a waiter as he held something in his hand.

"Yo there, Manic! Great time yer havin', huh?"

"You betcha! Hey, here's a little something from me and the guys. It's on the house!"

Manic lowered what he held as Vector's eyes twinkled. In front of him, jello shots of all colors lay before him.

"No way, Manic. Are ya serious? Can I really have this?"

"Bottoms up dude! I'm pretty much giving everyone here a shot!"

"Even the younglin's?"

"Even the freshies too. They deserve it."

"Heh, and when one of them go on a rampage, we then know why."

"Ha ha, well tough luck with them."

Vector moved his hand, looking at the various different kinds of jello shots. He tried to decide in his mind which flavor he wanted. Finally, he went with a basic red colored cherry flavor. The crocodile took the shot, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Ahh… that sure hits the spot."

"And what 'bout you chameleon dude? Want some?" Manic asked Espio.

Espio shook his head. "N-No thank you… I don't drink…"

"Oh c'mon! Just for tonight? For a friend?"

"Espio, ya really gotta try it! It's really great!" Vector exclaimed, nudging Espio's arm.

Knowing that this was a situation that he couldn't get out of, Espio then obliged. "Well… perhaps… one sip wouldn't hurt…"

"That's the spirit, Espio. Go on, pick the one you like."

Espio looked at the various shots. Judging from all the colors, he had to pick out one that looked the best to him. He eventually settled on an orange jello shot.

"Orange? Not a lot of people got that one. But then again, not a lot of people like orange flavored stuff. Well, besides orange soda." Manic said. Espio sniffed the jello shot, still debating whether or not he still wanted to taste it.

"Go ahead. It won't bite." The spiked green hedgehog said. The foreign exchange student gave it one last look before he shut his eyes and began to sip. As he gulped the alcohol down, he could savor the orangey flavor as it went down his throat. Espio lowered the small glass down as he finished his shot.

"Well? How was it, Espio?" Vector asked. Espio looked at his roommate.

"That felt… rather… nice…" Espio calmly said.

"See? I knew you would like it! Anyway you two, I gotta go head off. Got lots of shots to deliver." Manic said, taking up Vector and Espio's glasses. "And cause of that, Sonic's got a lot to make tonight."

"Huh, I knew that blue hedgehog was up to somethin'." Vector said.

"Yeah, he's actually a pretty good booze maker. Probably could make a good bartender if ya ask me. Enough chitchat from me, gotta go. See you, Vector! You too, Espio!"

Manic rolled away from the two reptiles, leaving them behind.

"Well, that certainly was an experience." said Vector.

"I agree… Vector? Is it fine that I don't want any more alcohol for tonight?" Espio asked. Vector looked down at his friend.

"Sure. After all, it's yer decision. C'mon, let's stop hangin' round here and find somethin' to do."

Vector walked from the dining hall to the main halls of Mobius U.

"Now, these are what kinda parties we have here. Ya got yer raves…"

The two reptiles passed by a room that had flashing lights as many danced hardcore, Halloween-esqe music coming from speakers.

"…the large amount of food here."

As he said that, Vector picked up a chocolate bar and opened it up. He offered some to the chameleon, who declined.

"And finally ya got yer… Thriller flash mob."

Vector and Espio stared at a large group of people doing some kind of choreographed dance, acting like zombies as on a set of speakers, a man sang "Cause this is Thriller! Thriller night!"

"Yeah… let's just ignore that…"

It was then when Vector and Espio turned around that they saw a large purple Tasmanian devil, in what seemed to be in a demon costume, run up to them. Vector recognized him immediately as Thrash; wide receiver of the football team.

"Yo there, Thrash! What's up?" Vector asked.

"Knuckles is challenging you to a match of beer pong in the lounge. He says that he's waiting, and he's not taking no for an answer." Thrash said. Vector almost stumbled.

"Who does that red meathead think he is?! I'll show him! Imma show him who's the master of beer pong! Espio, I need some support, so do ya mind comin' with me?"

"I-I… I suppose…" Espio softly said.

"Then it's settled! Espio, Thrash, c'mon."

* * *

For almost an hour, the game of beer pong went on intensely. Vector and Knuckles soon became more and more intoxicated as the game progressed. Yet, as everyone cheered for each time either football player drank a cup of beer, Espio become more uncomfortable with the amount of people around him. It soon came to a breaking point, and the chameleon found himself wanting to be away from the lounge.

"V-Vector?" Espio asked as it was now Knuckles' turn.

"H-H-Huh? Wha is i-it, E-Espio?" asked Vector, obviously drunk.

"The amount of people here is making me rather… uncomfortable… May I please return to the dorm?"

"O-Oh yeah… sure, l-lemme gets the keys out fer y-ya…"

Vector stumbled as he looked for the keys to the dorm in his pocket. He finally pulled them out and gave them to Espio.

"Are you going to be okay, Vector? Do you know your way back to the dorm? Or would you want to call one of the pay phones here?"

"N-N-Naw naw, Espio. He he, Imma be alright…" Vector slurred.

The way Vector acted when he was drunk put the fuchsia reptile on slight edge. Yet, he tried to not think about it.

"Well… if you say so… I shall be going now…"

"Y-Yeah yeah… sees ya, E-Espio…"

The chameleon left the lounge as it was now Vector's turn. Getting the ping pong ball into the cup, everyone cheered loudly as Vector gulped down the alcohol in one consecutive gulp. Everyone cheered yet again as Julie-Su, the cheerleader Vector mentioned to Mighty and Knuckles, walked next to the large green reptile.

"Say, you're really good at this game." she said in a flirtatious tone.

"A-Am I?" Vector said.

"Hell yeah you are. Show Knuckles who you really are, tough guy."

After another game, it was obvious that Vector had one. Everyone had cheered one last time as Julie-Su had her arm around Vector's neck. As everyone began to leave the lounge, the female echidna reached up near Vector.

"You were awesome tonight. How about we head back to my dorm for a little… "game" of our own?"

"H-Heh heh, I'd l-like to, but y'know, mah r-roomie…" Vector slurred.

"He doesn't have to know. Besides, he's probably asleep in your dorm."

"W-Well… awh fuck it, yer right. L-Let's go… I'm already havin' fun as is, let's c-crank that baby up…"

Julie-Su smirked as the two left the lounge and proceeded up to the dorms.

* * *

If someone had seen the floor of Julie-Su's dorm, they would have thought a warzone was close.

However, that wasn't the case.

All of Vector and Julie-Su's clothing were scattered all over the floor, along with an opened condom wrapper. On the bed lay the crocodilian quarterback and the echidna cheerleader, finished from their romp. Julie-Su relaxed as she continued to sleep, while Vector put his hands behind his head.

"Man, tonight sure was a good night." Vector reflected. He hung out with Espio, had a fun game of beer pong, and ended up getting laid.

It was safe to say that tonight was a perfect night for Vector. He began to slowly relax and fall asleep…

…

That was, until Espio's face popped up in his mind.

" _Oh fuck, OH FUCK."_ Vector thought. He not only abandoned his roommate, his friend, to have sex, but to have sex with someone who he didn't care about.

All because he was drunk.

Vector began to regret the romp he had with Julie-Su as he began to panic.

" _This can't be happenin'… oh god… what if Espio saw me right now? What would he say?"_ The crocodile thought. As Julie-Su still slept peacefully, Vector shook as he tried to relax, only to have an anxiety filled rest.

He hoped to the heavens that Espio surely wouldn't find out about what happened, and that when he returned to the dorm in the morning, he wouldn't be mad.


	7. Chapter 7

**(AN: Ayyyyyyy new chapta. Ooh man, last chapter was something huh? Let's hope Vector doesn't get in hot water just cause he bumped uglies.**

 **I've got nothing new to mention, so I'll just leave you off here.)**

* * *

When Vector woke up the proceeding morning, two things rang in his mind: first; his head was pounding, and second; where he was right now wasn't his room.

"Rrr… what happened last night?" Vector mumbled, rubbing his aching head. It was then when he felt himself nude, and saw his clothes on the ground, along with clothes of another person. The crocodile turned his head and saw Julie-Su still asleep.

 _"AWH SHIT! THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED! HOW COULD I FORGET?!"_ Vector thought to himself, remembering everything that happened the previous night. He immediately got out of bed and began changing into his clothes. He found it quite surprising that he didn't wake up Julie-Su, but that didn't matter to him, as returning back to Espio was his top priority.

Getting his shoes on, Vector headed out the echidna cheerleader's dorm, and didn't look back.

* * *

As Vector hurriedly walked back to the dorm, butterflies were in his stomach as to what Espio would say if he returned to the dorm. He felt himself becoming dizzy as thoughts ran through his mind.

 _"I'll just make up somethin'."_ he thought to himself. _"Better to tell a lie than to him learnin' the truth. I mean, what would his reaction even be?"_

Vector's mind shifted as it created a scenario that played in his head; it was the previous night before, and as Vector continued to thrust into Julie-Su, Espio was present in the room, hovering above the two. He lowered his angry glare as the chameleon continued to watch his roommate have sex. The crocodilian quarterback shuttered at the vision of the scenario, not wanting to think of it.

As he walked past the various dorms of students, he finally made it back to his dorm. The large green reptile took a deep breath before knocking on the door. The dorm door opened as Espio looked up at Vector.

"Vector… there you are… I was wondering where you were last night." Espio said. Vector slightly jumped back, hoping that he didn't look nervous.

"H-Heh heh… well, a friend let me stay in his dorm since I was super drunk, y'know?" The crocodile lied. "Uh… yer not mad that I wasn't here, are ya, Espio?"

"Mad? Why would I be mad?"

"I… I wasn't there fer the night, ya were all alone, somethin' couldda happened to ya, all those sorta things. I promise that I won't do anythin' like that again."

"Okay… but… I-I'm not sure why you're saying this…"

"It's nothin', Espio."

Vector yawned as he went inside the dorm. He was glad that the chameleon wasn't mad at him, but he still seemed rather uncertain as to why Vector acted paranoid.

It was then that a sharp pain went through the crocodile's head. He rubbed and rubbed his head as the headache from his hangover pained him.

"V-V-Vector?! Are you alright?!" Espio asked in a panic, not knowing the symptoms of a hangover.

"Y-Yeah, Espio… I'm fine. It's just a hangover, it won't kill me."

The foreign exchange student calmed down. "Well, okay… but perhaps you should take care of yourself today."

"Yer right. Let's skip out on breakfast in the dinin' hall and have breakfast here."

Vector walked over to the mini pantry above the microwave as he looked inside, finding a box of granola bars. He took two out; handing one to Espio as he opened the other. The two reptiles digged into their breakfast of grains and oats in the shape of a bar as the crocodile threw away his wrapper.

"Well, that was good." He said. Vector laid his hands on the desk before Espio stopped him.

"W-Wait, Vector!" exclaimed Espio. It was too late, as Vector placed his hand on something on the desk. A loud SNAP noise was heard as Vector froze in his tracks.

"E-Espio? What was that?" he asked.

"T-That was my…" It was all Espio could muster. Vector took his hand off from the desk and picked up what he had broken of Espio's; a small, bendy, yet wooden Japanese symbol which was in two pieces lay in his hands. Vector freaked out immediately, dropping them on the floor.

"OH MY GOD! ESPIO, I'M SORRY! I TRULY AM! I NEVER MEANT TO DO THIS! I'M SORRY I BROKE YER THING! I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY…"

Vector was now on his knees, begging for forgiveness. He knew he screwed up badly, and knew Espio wasn't going to be happy.

Yet, Espio simply looked at the begging crocodile with confusion. "Vector? It's alright… It was quite old anyway…" he tried to assure the larger reptile, but to no avail. The crocodilian quarterback picked up the symbol and tried to put it back together.

"Dammit! Nothin'! And I ain't got any super glue!"

Vector cursed under his breath as he kicked the floor.

"Wait a minute! I know someone who can fix this! He's real good with fixin' stuff! C'mon, Espio!"

* * *

Rotor looked at the broken symbol in front of him, continuing his examination.

"Well… it seems that wood glue is going to be the best way to fix this. Don't worry, Vector, fixing this won't take long."

Vector nodded his head as the walrus said that it was time for him to go to work. The two reptiles left the offensive tackler's dorm as Vector hung his head.

"Espio… look… I'm really sorry… I fucked up a lot today… I wasn't at the dorm at night, and I broke yer thing… I can make it up to ya in anyway. Ya name it? I'll do it."

"Vector… You don't need to give me anything. It was a mistake. Every person makes mistakes from time to time…"

"But, Espio! This wouldn't have happened if I didn't get mahself wasted! Gawd… today just can't get worse, can it?"

It was then that Vector and Espio saw Headmaster Egg-I mean, Robotnik, walk up to them.

"Oh! Vector! And you too Espio! It's a surprise to see you two here!" he said. "Tell me, Vector, have you been doing well being Espio's mentor these past few months?"

 _"Other than abandonin' him and breakin' his stuff? I'm sure not well…"_ Vector thought. However, he tried to hide his thoughts with a fake smile.

"Yeah… It's goin' great. Espio's been learnin' a lot of English lately." he said.

"Really now? May I see for myself?" Robotnik asked.

"Sure, go ahead. C'mon, Espio. Say hi to the headmaster. Just remember the things yer supposed to say when ya greet someone like we practiced, alrighty?"

Espio nodded as the chameleon walked up to the large headmaster. He took his hand and slowly shook it.

"H-H-H-Hello… M-My name is E-Espio…" he said slowly. Headmaster Robotnik looked surprised.

"Well now! It seems you're right! I'm quite proud of you, Espio!"

The foreign exchange student flushed for a bit as Robotnik slowly walked away.

"I'm also glad to see you two get along great. Perhaps you might even confuse some people into believing- …well, maybe not." he finally said before walking away from the two reptiles.

Vector was confused, what did Headmaster Robotnik mean by making people confused by believing something?

The crocodilian quarterback shook his head, trying not to make light of the situation. He looked out the window and sighed. It had been a rough start to November, and Vector only hoped that things would get better.

"You don't look good…" Espio stated. Vector snapped back to reality, shaking his head.

"Oh… uh… that's cause I haven't had… mah mornin' coffee. I think I could really use it."

"Then let us head down there."

* * *

 **"Something's starting today**

 **Where did he go? Why you wanted to be?**

 **Well you know, November has come**

 **When it's gone away…"**

The song Vector was listening to was clear from where Espio was sitting. The two reptiles currently sat outside, sitting one of the picnic tables where various other students sat at. Vector and Espio sipped at hot coffee as they wore sweaters, as the season of Fall soon brought cold temperatures, which didn't sit well with the two's cold-blooded nature.

The grey clouds of the sky moved as Vector and Espio continued to drink their coffee. The song that Vector was playing soon came to a close as the crocodile shut his eyes.

 _"November has come alright…"_ Vector thought. The coffee was half-way done, but Vector didn't want anymore.

Since it was a Sunday, none of the students had class today (not to mention that the football team didn't practice until the evening arrived). Vector watched many of them converse, do assignments, etc.

The large green reptile soon broke the silence by looking at Espio.

"Lookie, Espio… I wanna say I'm real sorry fer yer little symbol thing. Truly I am…"

"Vector… your Rotor friend said he could fix it. Everything is fine."

"But, Espio… I dun wantcha to be mad at me. Hell, I probably know ya are…"

"I am not. We all as living beings make mistakes. Yet, our mistakes can inspire us to do better."

The philosophical words Espio gave rang into Vector's mind. Starting today, he would do more for Espio, hopefully so a situation like this could not occur again.

"Y'know what, Espio? Yer right. I made a mistake, but I can learn from it. I'll make sure yer a happier person, and I'll be more careful, alrighty?"

However, irony gave its way. As Vector got up to throw away his cup of coffee, he tripped on his shoelace. The crocodile yelped before hitting the ground flat like a pancake.

"Erg… not the worst thing to happen at me, but still, I dun wanted this to happen!" he complained. As Vector got up and wiped the gravel off his shirt, his eyes wandered to the chameleon, who was looking at him.

"What? What is it?" he asked.

And then, something unexpected happened. Espio's usual blank expression curled into a smile as he began to softly… laugh. Vector was surprised; he didn't think the foreign exchange student could laugh, as he often carried the same blank expression all the time.

But seeing Espio laugh now made the crocodilian quarterback smile; his plans with Espio started to come true. And in the midst of smiling at the laughing chameleon, Vector had a thought in the back of his head.

 _"Espio sounds so cute when he laughs…"_

* * *

As the day progressed, Vector's mood became better, much to Espio's pleasure. With their coffee done, the crocodile and chameleon stayed in their dorm for quite some time.

At first, Vector and Espio didn't do much. Since they had already finished their homework, and Knuckles and Mighty were busy with their assignments, there was nothing to do besides lazily lie in the dorm room.

It wasn't until sometime later that Espio turned his attention to the bulletin board by the door. There were many pictures of the crocodile, most of them in his football uniform. The chameleon became interested and climbed off of his bunk, walking towards it. He studied each and every image on the bulletin board before he felt Vector walk up behind him.

"I see ya got yer eyes on the pictures, right, Espio?" the crocodile asked. Espio nodded in response.

For quite some time, Vector explained each picture in detail, making sure not to leave any part out. When he got to the largest picture on the board, he took it off its thumb tacks and showed it to Espio.

"Ya see this, Espio? This was us 'n the team last year when we had won the championships. Gawd… that was such an important day. I still remember it like it was yesterday… I made the last touchdown before time ran out, which meant we won the game. Everyone cheered mah name and even mah parents were there. Heh, they wanted to see their little boy play a game of ball…"

It was then when Vector shot up. "Hey! I know a way we can pass the time!"

He reached into his bag and pulled out a brown football. "We should play ball! Ya and me!"

"U-Us?"

"Yeah! We could probably head off near the woods here since I'm pretty sure the field's off limits and we ain't got nowhere else to go but there."

"I-I'm not sure, Vector… I don't know anything about your sport. I mean, I-I've seen you play it, but I don't know how to play it myself."

"Don't worry 'bout it, Espio! I'll go easy on you!"

"Well… if you say so… But it is quite cold outside isn't it? It was this morning after all."

"Yer right, let's get ourselves warm fer this."

* * *

After bundling up in more sweaters and long pants, the two reptiles finally headed off to the field near the woods. True to his word, Vector did go easy on Espio when the large green and fuchsia reptile simply threw the ball and caught it. Despite his build and him being on the football team, the crocodile knew how to be gentle with his throws.

"Alrighty, Espio! This one's gunna be a long throw! Go back a few yards!" Vector called out. The chameleon did as Vector told him as the crocodilian quarterback threw the ball. Espio held out his hands as he caught the football.

"Woo-hoo! Way ta go, Espio!"

Espio smiled as he held the ball. Only just a few minutes ago, he missed every shot Vector threw, and each time, the large green reptile gave him more and more advice. And now finally, he caught the ball.

Proud of himself, Espio wanted to keep on going until the time started getting closer for Vector to head off to practice. Taking the only break they took during their little game of "catch and throw the football", Vector and Espio sat on the grass as they watched the clouds move in the sky.

"Back home, I would watch the clouds move as the morning sun rose." stated Espio. Vector looked up at his roommate.

"Didya now?"

"Yes. It was one of my favorite things to do. There is just… something about it… is there a word for it in English?"

"Sensational?"

"Yes… that… my mother often told me that looking at the sun rise each morning would bring me "subarashī kōun", meaning "great fortune"."

"I can see that. I am notta mornin' person at all, but I've seen mah share of sunrise videos online to know that it's a beautiful sight. Seems to bring a bit of feng shui in yer case too."

The two continued to watch the clouds for some time, making small talk as they did. After a few hours, Vector got up from the grass.

"Well, lookin' at the time, it's almost time fer me to head off to practice."

"May I accompany you? I-I wouldn't mind watching you practice with your team."

"Of course ya can, Espio."

* * *

Unlike the first time going to one of Vector's practices', Espio didn't have himself caught up in a book, whereas right now, he paid attention to everything that was going on out in the field, despite his limited football knowledge. He even admittedly cheered a few times anytime Vector made a quite well made save.

"Looks like you got yourself a new personal cheerleader." Knuckles teased.

"Oh shuddup." Vector playfully replied. "He's doin' what a friend does. Supportin' one another."

Vector noted that ever since the elevator incident, Espio has been seemingly trying to appease him. He would often have coffee ready for him whenever he woke up in the morning, got or did anything Vector said needed to be done or needed, etc. While he didn't want the foreign exchange student to become some servant of sorts, he enjoyed the cooperation of his fellow roommate.

With this, being around Espio made the crocodile happier and happier. He smiled as he sighed happily, that was, until he heard Coach Augustus' voice.

"Hey, Vector! Quit daydreaming about sunflowers and lollipops and let's continue practice!" he barked. The crocodilian quarterback flushed as his peers laughed, Espio chuckling from the stands.

* * *

It wasn't until sundown when Coach Augustus announced that practice was over. By then, Espio was feeling rather hungry, and wondered what kind of meal would be waiting for him in the dining hall. However, despite his hunger, he knew to be a good friend and wait for the crocodile to do whatever he needed in the locker room.

Finally coming out of the locker room, Vector walked with Espio and Knuckles out of the field and back to the school before the red echidna felt a vibration in his pocket. Taking out his phone, he read a text sent to him by Manic.

"Huh, well this is somethin'. Manic wants to know if we wanna have taco night with him, Sonic, and Sonia."

"Really? Awh man, and there was a slice of pizza in the dinin' hall callin' mah name…" Vector complained, a bit disappointed that he wasn't having his favorite food. "Oh well, I dun have a problem with taco night. Whadda 'bout ya, Espio?"

"I-I don't know what a t-taco is, I mean, I assume it's food… but… since you two are going, I will go too."

Vector snapped his fingers together. "God damn do I keep forgettin' ya don't know much 'bout the food we eat here. Don't worry; it'll be self-explanatory once we get there."

* * *

Tacos and soft drinks filled up a table as Vector, Knuckles, Mighty (who decided to come along), Sonic, Manic, and Sonia made small time banter between each other.

As Sonia told some sort of story, Espio wiped a napkin over his mouth as he finished eating. He took a gulp of the water he got as he put his hands up to his chin.

"Gochisosama deshita." Espio said to himself, quietly thanking Manic for the meal he invited them to. The chameleon got up and went to the bathroom to wash his hands.

Coming back from the washroom, everyone began to pick up their trash.

"Well, it's getting late." Sonia said, stretching. "Thank you all for coming along. And it was nice meeting you, Espio."

"Yes… it was nice to meet you too, Sonia." replied Espio.

"Yup yup, we're most likely gunna hit the hay." said Manic.

"As if. More like you'll stay up all night hitting your drumsticks against your desk, at least, from what your roomie tells me!" teased Sonic. Manic smiled innocently.

"Oh c'mon bro, drummin's my thing. You know that!"

"Anddd on the note of sibling rivalry, I think we're gunna go head off now." Mighty said, feeling awkward and out of place with Sonic and Manic arguing like brothers. The two football players, the wrestler, and the foreign exchange student quietly left the taco restaurant.

"Well, I'm stuffed." said Vector.

"No duh, you ate like five tacos." Knuckles replied.

"Hey! I was hungry, alright? After practice I get real hungry! Espio can confirm that to ya, right, Espio?"

The fuchsia reptile nodded his head.

"So yeah! There's mah proof!"

Mighty nervously chuckled. "Heh heh heh… now come on guys, tonight's not gunna be argument hour."

"I agree with M-Mighty…" said Espio.

"Y'know what? Yeah, yer right. Let's not argue over petty things. I already had a terrible mornin', but hey, mah day soon got better, so I can't be mad over petty things."

"Well, sure I guess. Anyway Mighty, let's head back."

The muscular armadillo nodded as the two returned back to their dorm, prompting Vector and Espio to do the same.

* * *

As the moon shined through the night sky, Vector lay in his bunk, keeping himself occupied by watching videos on his tablet. It was quite an eventful day today, but despite the bad parts of today, they were weighed out by the good. By tomorrow, Rotor should be finished with Espio's symbol, meaning the chameleon won't have a reason to be mad (despite his claims of not being mad).

Good luck seemed to have been shining upon Vector considering how well he's been doing during practice, and not to mention how he made Espio laugh for the first time today. He hoped that the future would bring even more good to him.


	8. Chapter 8

**3(AN: Oh man, sorry for not updating like a few days ago like I normally do. But I guess to make up for that, here comes probably the longest chapter for this fic so far! We're talking 4.1k words here, and man, I spend around 3-4 nights on this. I hope it pays off :P**

 **The stuff in this chapter are stuff I've been planning for a while, and what are they? Well, let's just say I think it's Espio's time to shine...**

 **One last thing, as a bit of a warning, there is going to be quite a bit of violence towards the middle of the chapter. So for those who are squicky by that sorta thing, you have been warned in advance.)**

* * *

For many days in November, Vector's prediction about days getting better turned out to be true. On November 2nd, Rotor gave back the symbol, now fixed. Espio was glad to get back what he said was a "family heirloom". It seems like things after that couldn't get any better, and for many days, it stayed that way.

However, it soon came tumbling down.

One morning toward mid-November, around 7:00 A.M., Vector's cellphone buzzed from the desk. The crocodile yawned and rubbed his eyes, getting out of bed as the cold of the room hit him due to being dressed in nothing but his boxers. Vector picked up his phone and answered it, wondering who would call him this early in the morning.

"Mmm… what is it?" he asked tiredly.

"Vector, it's me, Knuckles." Knuckles said on the other line.

"Oh, Knux… what's up?"

It was then that Vector noticed what seemed to be paranoia in the red echinda's voice.

"Vector, listen to me. Drop whatever you're doing and get to the locker room."

"I was only sleepin', so not like I was doin' anythin'. What's wrong?"

"Just… come here. It's urgent."

"Alright, alright…"

The crocodilian quarterback hung up as Espio woke up, mainly due to Vector talking on the phone.

"V-Vector?" Espio asked, raising himself up from his covers. "What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

"Knux is tellin' me to head to the locker room." The large green reptile explained. "From the way he said it, he sounded kinda frantic. C'mon, let's head out together."

"Yes, we should. Although, I recommend a change of clothes."

Vector looked down at his almost naked self and flushed. "Y-Yeah… I agree…"

* * *

Bundling up in warm sweaters and sweat pants, Vector and Espio made their way to the locker rooms by the football field. As they did, the two reptiles noticed all sorts of trash littered all over the floor.

"That wasn't there yesterday…" Vector noted. He and Espio walked into the locker room, seeing everyone on the team all standing near each other. As soon as he got in plain sight, Vector's jaw dropped as he froze.

"Oh mah god…" he said. Espio looked past Vector as he too froze.

The locker room was completely vandalized; graffiti was spray-painted all over the walls, broken equipment lying on the ground, and trash on the floor much like how it was outside. The phrase "THIS IS REVENGE" was spray-painted on both the walls and the lockers. Coach Augustus, who was holding a pencil in his hand, soon snapped it in half as his arm began to shake intensely.

"Who… who did this…" The large polar bear growled. Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads.

"DAMN IT ALL!" Coach Augustus yelled, punching the wall next to him. "WHOEVER THE LITTLE SHITS WHO DID THIS, THEY AREN'T GOING TO GET AWAY!"

Espio was in near shock at the coach's outburst, never seeing him so enraged. The foreign exchange student could then hear Vector growling beside him.

"What kinda little punk thinks this is cool… If I get mah hands on 'em, I'm gunna kill them!" Vector said through gritted teeth. Espio's heart pained seeing his friend so angry, and while everyone else stayed in the locker room, bantering angrily between each other about the situation, the fuchsia reptile sneaked out of the locker room quietly.

He looked up at the morning sky as a breeze hit him from behind.

"Vector… for you, your coach, and your team… I shall find out who did this… Evil acts must not be tolerated in this world."

* * *

Beginning with his search, Espio knew he had to get information from people first. He went to Mighty and Knuckles' dorm and asked the armadillo.

"Sorry, Espio. I don't know much besides from what Knuckles told me. But yeah, whoever did that? That wasn't cool."

Espio then continued with other people he knew and conversed with. Heading to the dining hall, the chameleon proceeded to ask the Babylon Rogues.

"Sorry kid, don't got nothin'." Jet said with his hands behind his head. "I only heard about it through a lot of people. It's spreading around like wildfire. But no, I don't know who did it."

Then Maria and Barbi from the sandwich shop him and Vector went to.

"I-I'm sorry! I wish I knew more, but I only know about what happened! I'm truly sorry!" Maria said. Espio calmly told her that it was fine, and that he appreciated the help.

"And as for you, B-Barbi was it?"

"Yeah, nope, I got nothing. I only heard about it cause Maria mentioned it to me."

Heading to the Rec Room, Espio then proceeded to ask Bow and his group of friends.

"Nope. I'm sorry if it wasn't the answer you wanted, Espio, but none of us know what happened. Though funny that you mentioned that it was just the locker room. One of my mates told me the field was vandalized as well." Bow said. Espio cringed, knowing that the team would be in even more rage if they had already found out.

"We're sorry, I know you want some more information, but no one here really knows who did it." said Thorn. However, Alan stepped in front of her.

"That might not be true. Try asking an RA or an official with the school, perhaps they might know something." suggested Alan. Taking the quail's advice, Espio then proceeded to ask Blaze, since she was the RA for the Rec Room. Surprisingly, she had an answer.

According to her, the security guards of Mobius U caught surveillance footage of five large unknown individuals walking to the locker rooms, first putting trash on the ground, then entering and soon exiting the locker room. While this gave Espio a closer answer, Blaze said that no one knew who the five in the footage were, as they were covered in facemasks and black sweaters.

Exiting the Rec Room, Espio was glad to have a few clues: first, five people were involved with the vandalism. And second: they had a large, muscular build.

Hoping to find a few more answers, Espio then asked Sonic, Manic, and Sonia, who had nothing, much like everyone else. However, when he asked Sally, he had another clue: apparently, it is believed that the five are not from Mobius U, but instead, another college, due to the cryptic "THIS IS REVENGE" message.

The female chipmunk theorized that the five came to the locker rooms to vandalize it in response to their school losing a football game. Not to mention, destroying the equipment as it was getting closer to the qualifications for the finals seemed like it matched up as well.

With all the people he knew, Espio knew it was everything he needed. He walked out of Sally's RA room and made his way outside of the school. He then took note of the important details: five mobians, large muscular builds, and motive being revenge over lost football game.

Espio felt like he got a fair amount of information, but felt like it wasn't enough. He was a bit nervous to ask his other professors at first, but as soon as he saw Professor Finitevus, the foreign exchange student went up to him, asking him if he knew about the situation and the perpetrators.

While the white echidna professor said he didn't know who did it, he told Espio that the school is reviewing the footage over and over to see if they can find any faces.

"I also overheard them mentioning that the school needs more security cameras, especially in the locker rooms so situations like this couldn't happen again."

Espio bowed and thanked Professor Finitevus before walking off. There was only two other people that Espio knew who he hadn't talked to; Valdez and Headmaster Robotnik. However, Valdez was usually not around a lot, meaning that Espio's choice of person to talk to was the headmaster.

The chameleon walked into the school official's office and requested to see the headmaster.

"What for?" The secretary, a lynx named Nicole, asked.

"It is about the situation that happened."

The lynx looked at Espio before pushing a few buttons on a keypad near her.

"I see. Go through the doors and you should find the Headmaster's office."

Espio nodded and thanked Nicole as he entered.

All around, various offices for different officials for Mobius U lay. It almost felt like a maze to Espio, having to turn his head left and right in order to find Headmaster Robotnik's office.

He eventually found the door which lead to the headmaster's office. As he did however, two officers walked out of the room, startling Espio slightly. The chameleon poked his head out from the doorway.

"Ah… Espio. Is there an issue?" asked Robotnik. Espio walked into his office and sat down on a chair.

"It's about the vandalism in the locker rooms."

Headmaster Robotnik sighed. "I thought today was going to be peaceful… little did I know… Well, I had two officers question me about it and I asked if they could find any evidence on whoever caused this. The situation should be looked at, but I know you must be hurting due to being Vector's friend, correct?"

Espio nodded; that was the main reason he set out to find whoever vandalized the locker room.

"Well, I hope we can find the people who did this. I'm sure everyone at our school would appreciate it dearly."

"Yes… I agree… B-But… do you have an idea who did it?"

"Who did it?" Headmaster Robotnik asked. He scratched his chin, then his moustache. "I can't say for sure… but if I had to guess, judging from the surveillance footage, we're dealing with someone who also knows how to get to the school by foot since they were found running away."

With the last of the knowledge he got, Espio thanked Headmaster Robotnik before leaving his office.

* * *

Heading outside of the school, Espio remembered all the information he got from everyone he talked to. Yet, despite with certain details listing characteristics of culprits, there could be so many people that could fit their description.

It was then that Espio heard loud laughing near him. Feeling something suspicious, Espio hid behind a bush as he saw five large and muscular mobians walking on the path to the technology department. He could hear them having a conversation.

"Ha ha ha! Can you believe some of those Mobius U jackasses are freaking out so bad over what we did?" The one in the middle, a white wolf wearing a sleeveless blue vest said.

"Yup! Gotta say, Drago, you did a nice job organizing everything." said a yellow ox.

"Hey there, Jun! Not giving me some of the credit is like fucking a girl with a condom! You just don't do it!" exclaimed a brown dog to whom Espio assumed was "Jun", the yellow ox.

"It would be you to say that, Sleuth." said a monkey, the largest one of the group. "Tell me, how many girls you got pregnant? Forty-one or something?"

Everyone laughed except for Sleuth, growling at the monkey.

"Don't fuck with me, man! I at least know when to pull out! Besides, like I want kids."

"You'd be the world's worst parent, Sleuth." said a bear, last on the right. "But yeah, getting back on track, I think we all deserve something for the accomplishment we did last night."

"Agreed right there, Diesel. Let's order like, five pizzas when we get back to Crisis City to celebrate and watch the Mobius U cunts wallow away at their oh-so poor locker room." said Drago. "Heh, this'll teach them not to fuck with Crisis City's football team and make us look like a bunch of pussies when we lost. And the best part? They'll never know it was all us."

While Espio remained hidden, he was completely shocked. The five walking away from his hiding spot were the felons that vandalized the locker room. Despite how rude they seemed, Espio knew he couldn't let them get away with anything.

"This is for you, Vector… and everyone else on your team…"

Espio got up from his hiding position and stood up straight, glaring at the five football players from Crisis City University.

"Stop. All five of you." Espio said in a serious tone. The five stopped as they looked behind them.

"Huh? What the fuck?" Drago said. He saw Espio standing a few feet away from him.

"Awh shit, Drago! I think shorty there heard us!" Diesel said. Drago glared at the bear, then at Espio.

"You hurt my friend." said Espio.

"Friend? You mean to tell me someone on your team is your friend? Pff, ha ha ha! Don't even make me laugh!" said the white wolf, laughing hard. Drago's friends began to laugh with him as well.

As Espio became embarrassed, he noticed that Jun, the yellow ox, had a necklace with a symbol he has seen before. The chameleon's eyes widened as he realized what it was; the symbol of Northern Mobius' main religion.

"You, ox." Espio said, pointing at Jun.

"What? What do you want?" Jun replied.

The foreign exchange student began to speak in his native language. _"I know you are from Northern Mobius. You do not deserve to carry that symbol on your necklace if you commit acts like this."_

Jun scoffed as he put his arms together. _"Well, who knew someone from where I lived went here."_ The large, muscular yellow ox took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket, taking one cigarette out from the box and lighting it up. He inhaled the tobacco and blew it out from his mouth. _"Look here, who the fuck do you think you are telling me what I can and can't do?"_

 _"Do you believe that no one will find out about this?! Evil must be eradicated from this world!"_

 _"You little prick!-"_

Just as Jun dropped his cigarette to the ground and started to walk towards Espio, Drago pulled him back.

"Don't. Let me deal with him."

The muscular wolf walked towards Espio and looked down at him.

"Listen kid, this is going to be my only warning to you. You turn around and forget you saw us, and we'll make sure we won't touch this school again. Got it?" growled Drago. The fuchsia reptile lowered his glare at the white wolf.

"No. I don't. You hurt my friend, and I shall take my revenge."

"You little bitch! You'll regret that!" Drago snarled as he threw his fist at Espio. The chameleon dodged quickly as he put on a stance.

"Get him!" yelled Drago. Jun, Sleuth, Diesel, and the monkey (named Sergeant) ran towards Espio. Jun attempted to strike Espio in the face, but the fuchsia reptile quickly crouched down, kicking him under his legs. Jun dropped to the ground and tried to get up as Sergeant threw multiple punches. While Espio was hit on his left arm, he was able to block one punch with his right hand. He then grabbed the large simian and threw him to the ground hard.

As the fight between the five Crisis City U football players and the foreign exchange student continued, hundreds upon hundreds of students and teachers began to surround the six.

As Sergeant was thrown to the ground, Espio caught himself off guard as he was kicked in the stomach by Sleuth. The large dog placed his foot on Espio's chest, applying pressure.

"*huff* Now you're gunna get it, ya little shit." he said. Espio clenched his teeth as he put his arms around Sleuth's legs and brought him to the ground. Getting up, Espio jumped off from Sleuth's chest as only Diesel and Drago remained.

"Dammit! He got Jun, Sleuth, and Sergeant!" Diesel exclaimed.

"Alright! Me and you are gunna make sure this little punk isn't gunna live!" Drago yelled. The crowd simply stood around, not daring to interrupt the fight.

Diesel charged towards Espio, tackling him to the ground. He threw a few punches to his face, feeling each and every punch sting his face. Espio soon spit out blood from his mouth as he soon made his next attack. The chameleon threw Diesel off the ground and karate chopped his neck. As the bear dropped to the ground, Espio grabbed his arm and threw him to the ground.

With only Drago left, Espio stared at him in the eye, spitting out more blood on the ground as he saw three people coming in from the crowd from the corner of his eye.

"E-ESPIO?!" The chameleon heard someone exclaim. He turned his head and saw Vector, Knuckles, and Mighty only a few feet away from him. The crocodile looked incredibly shocked as his jaw was dropped.

"I'm coming for you little prick!" Espio heard Drago yell. Just before he could attack, a twinkle shined in Espio's eye as he put on a stance.

 _"Haa! Ultimate Ninja Power!"_ Espio exclaimed in Japanese. He began to spin in place as he moved towards Drago. Hitting the wolf, he grabbed him by his arm, continuing to spin. He soon let go of Drago as he became dizzy. Espio stopped spinning as he back flipped in the air and kicked him on the back of his leg. He grabbed Drago in a chokehold as he took out a kunai knife and held it towards his neck.

"ESPIO! WHAT IN CHAOS' NAME ARE YOU DOING?!" Espio heard Coach Augustus yell. The chameleon turned his head and threw Drago to the ground near his four friends.

"They did it." Espio breathed, pointing at Drago, Sleuth, Jun, Sergeant, and Diesel. "They are the ones who vandalized the locker room. They have come from Crisis City University, which is why they wanted revenge."

The large polar bear ran towards the five as he checked each and every one of their I.D.'s. In order, Coach Augustus checked the I.D.s of Drago Wolf, Jun Kun, Sleuth "Doggy" Dawg, Diesel Bear, and Sergeant "Serg" Simian.

"Heh, I hope you realize how fucked you five are once we get you back to your school."

* * *

After campus police was called, they brought the five into a large car, driving back to Crisis City U.

With the situation resolved, everyone soon left the front of the school as Vector and Espio returned to their dorm. Espio had his wounds healed up, but the crocodile said nothing the entire way back. As they entered inside, the chameleon bowed to Vector.

"I hope I have fixed your situation, Vector…" he said. Vector looked flabbergasted.

"W-Wha? E-Espio!? I just, you did, all that-"

"Calm, Vector. Calm."

The large green reptile took a deep breath as he began.

"Espio… those moves… how the hell did ya do them?! I've never seen anyone do somethin' like that before!"

"Sit down. I shall explain everything."

When the two reptiles sat down, Espio got his bag and pulled out one of his kunai knives and a photo.

"It may be hard to believe Vector, but my ancestors were all ninjas."

"W-Wait, ninja's? Ya mean-?"

"Yes. For generations, our family has passed down the teachings and art of ninjitsu and becoming a master ninja. We train ourselves regularly by doing even the most simple of activities, as they help with our learning."

Espio held out the kunai. "This is a kunai. Every ninja is expected to carry one of them, and this is the most common weapon for a ninja to use."

Vector looked awestruck. "Whoa… still… I can't believe it… mah roomie… mah friend's a ninja…"

"Is it hard to believe?"

"I thought ninja's were somethin' in the movies."

"It's not as you think. Unlike fiction, being a ninja is much different than expected."

He then showed the crocodilian quarterback the photo. "The picture you're seeing was the day I graduated from my ninja academy. "

Vector examined the photo. A larger male and female fuchsia chameleon were standing by a smaller Espio, who was holding a stainless steel kunai.

"Yer folks?"

"Yes. Not pictured in here is my younger sister, Shami."

"Ya gotta nice little ninja family right there, Espio."

The foreign exchange student softly chuckled. "If that's how you see it, then yes, it is a "nice little ninja family"."

The two than sat in silence, before Vector spoke up. "So tell me, Espio… what do ya normally do when yer a ninja? Besides the whole fightin' stuff."

"I see where you're coming from. Well, when one is a ninja, we practice meditation a lot."

"Meditation?"

"Yes, I have meditated a lot during my time here. Perhaps you would like to join me for a session?"

"Well, what do I gotta do?"

"It is quite simple. Empty your mind, enter a calm state, close your eyes, and relax."

"That's it?"

"Yes, you try."

Vector looked at Espio before he took a deep breath. He cleared his mind, closed his eyes, and relaxed.

"Is it working?" asked the chameleon.

"Y-Yeah…"

Espio nodded as he watched Vector meditate. He decided to meditate along with him.

* * *

After about an hour, Vector and Espio's meditation session was finally over. Vector sighed as he got up.

"Man… I'm surprised… I feel a lot better after that. Thanks fer the meditation, Espio." said the crocodile.

"Well, you're welcome."

The two stood in silence before Vector broke it yet again.

"Man… today sure has been somethin'. I'm sure that meditation helped ya after yer little fight."

"Yes… it has."

"Man, Espio, it still shocks me how ya took on five guys larger than ya, and still managed to win."

"Being calm during situations helps, another thing taught in our ninja training. But… truth be told, Vector… I went after them because… of you."

"Me?"

"Yes… when I saw how mad your coach and especially you were… well… I knew I couldn't let them get away with this."

"Espio… I-I… I dunno what to say…"

"Well… I hope I have made you happy by finding out who angered you."

"I… well…" Vector was speechless at first. "Man… ya did this fer me especially… man… awh, c'mere buddy."

The large green reptile hugged the fuchsia reptile tightly. Espio felt himself blush as he felt Vector's muscular chest on his face.

After a minute, Vector still didn't let go of the hug.

"Um, Vector? I thought you would have stopped your hug." Espio said.

"Hey, it's a bro hug. Bro hugs are the best." replied Vector. "Cause… y-y'know… heh heh…"

Espio could see Vector's face becoming slightly red. He then shook his head as he looked at his roommate.

"What time is it anyway? Time fer lunch?"

Espio looked at the clock on the desk. "Apparently 12:36"

"Whaddya say? Wanna head to the dinin' hall fer lunch? Or ya not hungry yet?"

"I don't particularly mind."

* * *

Upon reaching the dining hall however, someone stood up, quieting the entire room.

"HEY GUYS! LOOK! IT'S THE TRANSFER KID WHO FOUND OUT WHO VANDALIZED THE FIELD!" The person yelled. Many began to whoop and holler as Espio looked around in confusion.

"What? What happened?" he asked. Suddenly, he felt someone grab him behind his neck playfully.

"You don't know? Everyone knows your awesome moves and how you kicked five guys' asses at the same time!" Knuckles said.

"Man, that was possibly the coolest thing I've ever seen! How come we didn't know you had that ability?" Mighty asked. Espio looked at him.

"W-Well…" he began. Just as he was about to answer the armadillo, Headmaster Robotnik came into the dining room, most likely drawn in by the noise everyone was making.

"Well, Espio, seeing this from you was certainly a surprise." he said. "While I don't approve of you using weapons on campus, Valdez has told me your reasoning for having it. So don't expect a punishment. What I'm here for is to tell you something quite important!"

"Important?" questioned the chameleon.

"You see, our school has trophies dedicated to mainly athletes setting records for the school, but we also have special deed awards, which are given to students doing good causes for the school, and I've decided that in the future, I'm declaring that you will receive an special deed award for finding the vandals who decided to mess with our school!"

A chant for Espio soon began to echo all over the room. The chameleon wasn't sure what to say, especially when everyone began to walk up to him and lift him up, carrying him throughout the dining hall. Espio looked at Vector, who gave him a thumbs up.

The fuchsia reptile smiled at Vector, and with that, he knew that today would be a day he wouldn't forget for all his time here at Mobius U.


	9. Chapter 9

**(AN: A bit late I know, but hey, I got it done!**

 **I got no other news other to report that this fic has now reached 600 views! Thank you all so much! It means a lot that so many of you like this fic. Now don't you worry, it's not over yet, so don't touch that dial! Cause here's another chapter!)**

* * *

Not long after the vandalism incident, all the damage done in the locker room and field was cleaned up, and soon enough, the days leading up to the first match of qualifications for the finals went surprisingly swell. Coach Augustus went through strategy upon strategy for every player on the team as practice now dragged on into the overnight hours.

Because of Drago and his cronies, Crisis City University's football was disqualified from the qualifications (as well as resulting in the five getting kicked off their team), meaning Mobius U could relax and not worry about having to see them.

The night before the first round of the qualifications (Mobius U vs Soleanna U), Espio had assured Vector that he was going to do fine.

"Remember Vector, if you keep your calm and composure, you will fare well in your football match." said the chameleon.

"Yer right, Espio… but still, I have this thing in mah head that's tellin' me that somethin's gunna go wrong…"

"Vector, you must ignore the negative thoughts invading your mind. Focusing on them will only make it more certain that they will happen."

The crocodile looked up at his friend. "I… I never thought of it that way. That somethin' they taught ya at yer ninja academy?"

"It was actually. I've lived by the ideologies that my mother and father, and my teachers have taught me."

"So if I focus on winnin' instead of losin', I'll do well?"

"Yes. After all, I have faith in you."

And then the day came.

The next evening, inside of the locker room just minutes before the game began, Vector looked at himself in the mirror and stared hard at his reflection.

"I will win… I will do this fer the team, fer the school, and fer Espio…" he kept repeating to himself. Vector held his grip on his football helmet tight as Coach Augustus announced it was time to head out. The crocodilian quarterback headed out with the rest of his team out of the locker room and to the field.

* * *

Even with things coming close midway into the second quarter, Soleanna U's football team could not compete with Mobius University's team. And so, Mobius U won the game, meaning they would advance up along with against the following schools who have reported their wins: Empire City U (winning against Central City U), Mobodoon U (winning against Metal City U), and Grand Metropolis U (winning against Westopolis U).

The Mobius U team came together in one giant hug as Espio and Mighty continued to cheer along with the rest of the school. The armadillo noted how hard Espio was cheering, most likely for Vector.

"I'm sure they'll let us down there, Espio. Wanna pay Knuckles and Vector a visit?" he asked the foreign exchange student. Espio nodded his head as him and Mighty got out of their seats and jumped over the gate, running towards Knuckles and Vector.

"Yo, Vec! Knux! You two did a bomb ass job out there!" Mighty said. "Way to show Soleanna who's the king of football!"

"Y-Yes… congratulations, Vector. You did a good job. The same to you, K-Knuckles…" said Espio.

"Heh heh, thanks Espio! I gotta give mah thanks to ya too! Yer advice helped out a lot!" replied Vector.

"Wait a minute, what advice?" questioned Knuckles.

"Espio gave me some advice yesterday night so I couldn't stress 'bout today's game."

"And you didn't give me any assurance, Mighty?! I was stressed too y'know!"

In the end, Knuckles ended up chasing after the muscular mammal as the two reptiles watched them.

"Don't worry 'bout it, Espio. Knux will calm down… at least, I hope…"

In that moment, Espio felt someone large overshadow him. He turned around and saw a large and muscular turquoise and white eagle wearing a tight pink polo standing near them.

"I am not interrupting anything, aren't I?" he asked. Vector turned around and placed his hand on his hip.

"Nope, ya ain't. So uh, who are ya?" The crocodile asked.

"Funny you ask! I'm Soar the Eagle. I'm here with the Mobius Times newspaper. I'm currently writing about today's game and was wondering if you could share a few words?"

"Sure, I got no problem with that."

Soar took out a notepad and a pencil. "So first, your name is?"

"Vector."

"And you play quarterback correct?"

Vector nodded as Soar wrote down on his notepad. "Ahh, that reminds me of my days in college. I played on my school's football team too. My coach said I was a good offensive tackler… ah, I'm getting sidetracked. Tell me, Vector, how did you feel during tonight's game? Were you frightened? Nervous?"

"Well at first, in the days prior to the game, I'll admit I was pretty nervous. But, I got mah roomie to thank fer calmin' me down."

Vector then put his hand on Espio's shoulder. "He told me not to focus on losin', sayin' that it'll become reality if I keep thinkin' 'bout losin'. So when I found mahself thinkin' more 'n more 'bout winnin', whaddya know? I found mahself doin' better!"

Soar wrote everything down on his notepad. "Interesting… now your roommate… wasn't he the one who found out who caused the vandalism at this school not too long ago?"

"He was. If anythin', I think today's match was dedicated to him, cause without that, we couldn't show our support for him. Everyone on the team is grateful fer him, especially coach. Hell, since me and Espio hang out a lot, coach likes to see him as an unofficial member of the team."

Espio flushed from the attention he was receiving, he certainly wasn't expecting to have the game dedicated to what he did. Soar continued to write down on his notepad.

"Well, this will certainly be enough! I thank you two for your patronage for helping me with this story."

"Heh, anytime."

Vector held out his hand, however Soar didn't take it. He seemed rather squeamish looking at it.

"What's wrong, man?" asked Vector.

"I apologize. I would shake hands, but I'm quite germophobic..."

And with that, Soar left the two reptiles, interviewing more of Vector's teammates.

"Whadda weird guy…" commented Vector. He then turned to Espio. "But yeah, I heard ya cheering mah name durin' the game. Gotta say, gave me quite a bit of confidence."

Espio looked Vector in the eye and smiled at him. "Anytime. It's for a friend after all."

* * *

With even shorter days and colder nights, November came to a close as December drew in. Snow even began piling up all throughout Mobius, meaning Vector and Espio had to bundle up harder (most especially Vector since he continued to train at night.)

With only one more game before the finals (Mobius U vs Grand Metropolis U), Vector knew he and the rest of the team had it in the bag. With all the training the team has prepared for, the crocodile was ready for anything.

It was the night of the game against Grand Metropolis U, and currently, Vector was getting his football uniform ready in the locker room as Espio stood next to him, the two reptiles conversing.

"Are ya sure yer gunna be okay all by yerself? Ya know how to work the radio or the TV like I showed ya?" asked Vector.

"I know, Vector." replied Espio.

Since tonight's game was away at Grand Metropolis U, Espio decided not to go, mainly due to the fact that he wished not to go somewhere new and be confused (much like how he was during his first few days at Mobius U), and that he didn't want to ride on any sort of public transportation (after apparently, according to Valdez, he had freaked out during his first car ride to Mobius U when he had took the chameleon there, mainly due to how small and compact it was). As such, he ultimately decided to watch the game on TV back in the dorm.

"Try not to become cold. I know it's freezing, so please make sure you're warm."

"Heh, yer soundin' just like mah mom right now. She always made sure I was nice and bundled up whenever I headed outside on a nice 'n snowy day."

Vector sighed happily, thoughts deep in nostalgia as he grabbed his helmet and cleats.

"Childhood memories aside, I should probably be headin' out now." he said. The crocodilian quarterback placed his cleats on his feet and grasped his helmet. He patted Espio's back and looked at him.

"See ya soon, Espio. Take care."

With that, Vector ran out of the locker room, leaving Espio by himself. The chameleon walked out of the bare locker room and headed outside, watching a bus carrying Vector, Coach Augustus, and the entire Mobius U team take off.

Walking back to the school, Espio noted how lonely it seemed without the usual busting of life that happens every day. The foreign exchange student walked up the various flights of stairs, ending up on the floor where his and Vector's dorm was.

Entering the dorm, Espio took off his shoes as he sat down on his knees and turned on the TV. He remembered the channel Vector said where college football games are shown and pressed the buttons on the remote for the TV. Despite getting on the channel, the signal kept dropping due to the now heavy snow falling down.

The chameleon looked out of the window and watched the snow falling. He was suddenly having a flashback to his childhood back in his village, watching, working, and training in the snow that would fall around this time of the year.

Coming back into reality, Espio turned off the TV as there still was no signal. He sighed and walked over to the desk, turning on the radio. He tuned into the station live casting the football game and heard some announcers doing pre-game commentary.

After a while, the game soon began, and Espio became invested into what was being said. He could picture the game in his head as the commentators continued.

"Ooh, what a nice shot by Grand Metropolis' U wide receiver! It's going up high, and is caught by the quarterback of Grand Metropolis U!"

Espio listened carefully for the whole two hours of the game, feeling excited whenever the commentators on the radio mentioned "the quarterback of Mobius U".

Even without being there, Espio knew from the radio that the game was very, very close. Many of the commentators believed that Mobius U would lose, as soon enough, the game ended in a tie, resulting in what was dubbed a "sudden death" match, where the first to score would win.

Espio held his breath and put his fingertips to his mouth, hoping that Mobius U would win. Hearing a cheer from the audience, the commentators began to loudly state that Mobius U had won and will be heading off to the finals.

"Yes!" Espio said to himself, fist pumping. He could feel a small grin on his face as the commentators reflected on the match.

Sometime later, Espio heard a phone buzz. He turned his head and saw Vector's cell phone on the bedstand.

 _"It seems that he forgot his phone."_ Espio thought to himself. He picked up the cell phone and saw on screen that it was from an unknown number. The chameleon answered the call and put it up to "ear".

"Hello?" Espio asked.

 _"Yo there, Espio!"_

Espio softly gasped as he smiled. "Vector! How are you?"

 _"Pretty good! Man, ya heard or watched the game right?"_

"Yes, I heard it on the radio. Good job on your and your team's victory."

 _"Heh, thanks Espio!"_

"Is the snow brutal for you? It's falling quite heavy here."

 _"Yup, I'm freezin' mah tail off here. I'm surprised I didn't pass out at one point."_

"Would you like me to get something warm for you when you come back?"

 _"Yeah, mind gettin' some coffee? Ooh, and somethin' to eat as well. I'm starvin'…"_

"What would you like?"

 _"Hm… Chinese doesn't sound too bad right now…"_

Vector then sighed. _"I could go fer some sesame chicken, rice, and an egg roll right 'bout now… yum… There should be a menu fer a Chinese takeout restaurant where I keep a stack of papers on the desk. Just get me a sesame chicken meal, and a container of white rice, and an egg roll. Oh, and four pieces of fried chicken. If yer hungry, ya can get somethin' too. If it looks appetizin' to ya, go ahead and order it."_

"H-How do I order? Do I walk there?"

 _"Nah, there should be a phone number listed fer the place. Just call it and tell them to deliver it to the school. The main office should call ya down to pick it up, and don't forget, get mah debit card from mah wallet on the desk, alrighty?"_

"I understand."

 _"Great, I'll see ya in the dorm, okay?"_

"Okay."

 _"Alrighty, see ya."_

Espio hung up as he looked for the menu Vector mentioned. He soon found it and looked through the various items, finding something he would like.

"Hmm… lo mein looks good…" Espio said to himself. He ultimately decided on an order of lo mein, white rice, and wonton soup. Finding the number on the front of the menu, Espio spent a few minutes wondering how to call a number from Vector's cell phone. He soon found how to do so, and punched in the numbers into the virtual keypad.

After saying his and Vector's order to the woman on the line, Espio hung up and left the dorm, heading to the canteens. As he went down the flight of stairs, he noticed that many of the students had started arriving back from the game, some of them heading to the canteen for late night snacks or drinks, other's conversing loudly with their friends about the game, and some of them returning to their dorm to retreat for the night.

Finally arriving to the canteen, Espio found himself lucky as there were no line for the coffee vending machine. Walking up to it, Espio remembered to get Vector's debit card out and swiped it through the card reader.

 _"Vector always said he found it so grateful this year that they now added debit card "capability", saying that he hated having to carry spare change."_ Espio suddenly remembered. The foreign exchange student didn't wait for long for the coffee he ordered to be ready.

 _"He likes a lot of sugar and creamer in his coffee."_ Espio recalled as he grabbed multiple packets of sugar and coffee creamer. Opening them up, he put the sweeteners into the coffee and mixed them with a stirrer.

Now with what he needed, Espio walked back to the dorm, slightly blowing on the coffee so it could cool down for a second. Reaching his and Vector's dorm, it seemed right on schedule, as suddenly, the dorm's phone began to ring. Espio placed the coffee on the desk as he walked over to answer it.

"Hello?" he asked, placing his hand on the lower part of the phone.

"Yes, is this dorm number B-103? With the current students staying in this specific dorm; Vector Crocodile and Espio Chameleon?"

"Oh, yes it is."

"A Chinese restaurant has come by for an order for you two. Would you come down to pick up your delivery?"

"Of course."

Espio hung up the phone as he walked out of them dorm.

* * *

Soon returning back a few minutes later after paying the tiger delivery boy, Espio set all the food onto the desk as he sat down and waited for Vector's arrival.

After about five minutes, there was a knock on the door. The chameleon got up and walked up to the door, opening it. Sure enough, standing outside of it with his large frame was Vector.

"Hey darlin', ya got everythin'? Mah coffee's all nice and hot and I got somethin' to eat?" he asked.

"Oh, yes. Come on inside."

Vector walked into the dorm as Espio shut the door. As he did, he reflected on the word Vector used instead of his name; "Darling". What did this mean? Was this a nickname? Or did it mean something else?

Whatever the case, the word somehow made Espio flush from the way Vector said it. However, Espio tried to make it not get the better of him, and finally decided not to think much of it.

Walking back to where Vector was, Espio sat down on his knees as the crocodile took out the multiple containers that held all of the food, passing them out.

"Man… mah mouth is waterin' just lookin' at all of this…" Vector commented.

"I assume your game today has left you very hungry?" asked the chameleon.

"Emphasis on "very", trust me when I say that."

Soon enough, the two reptiles began their small little feast. Vector digged into his sesame chicken with a fork as Espio began with his rice with chopsticks.

After many minutes of dining, Vector and Espio finished the entirety of their meal. The crocodile placed his hand on his tummy as he sighed.

"God... I'm sure stuffed…" Vector commented.

"Yes, this was quite a lot." replied Espio.

The crocodilian quarterback picked up all their trash as he walked to the trash can. As he threw away everything, Vector suddenly noted that there was only less than fifteen days until Christmas.

While it wasn't on his mind until now, Vector realized that along with getting gifts for Knuckles and Mighty like they had done last year with their little "gift exchange", he also needed to get a gift for Espio.

 _"Hmm… what should I get him? Maybe a souvenir? Or like somethin' outta where he's from?"_

It was then that Vector realized what he needed.

"Hey, Espio, I need to make a quick phone call real quick." Vector announced. Espio nodded as the crocodile grabbed his cell phone.

As he walked out of the dorm, the fuchsia reptile stared at him. He watched his hips move and his tail swing back and forth as the large green reptile soon exited the dorm.

* * *

Closing the door so Espio wouldn't hear, Vector looked through his contacts and found the phone number for his mom. He pressed "call" and waited for her to pick up on the other line. Soon enough, there was a response.

"Hello?" Vector's mother asked.

"Hey there mom." said Vector.

"Oh, Vector! How are you, sweetie?"

"Doin' just fine."

"Me and your dad saw your game on TV, you did an amazing job."

"Heh, thanks mom. Hey listen, that's actually not really why I called. Could I ask a favor?"

"Hm? What kind of favor is it, son?"

"Ya know mah high school freshman sports sweater?"

"You mean the one you had to stop wearing after a few months because your shoulders grew wider?"

"Yeah, that one. Could ya mind sendin' it here?"

"Well, okay. Why do you want it though?"

"Let's just say, it's a Christmas gift fer a friend."

"I understand. I'll send it in a few days, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks mom. It means a lot."

"Of course sweetie. I love you."

"Love ya too mom. Oh, and tell dad I said hi."

"Okay, I'll do that."

Vector's mom soon hung up as the crocodile entered back in the dorm. He saw that Espio was sprawled on the floor, watching some sort of nature documentary on TV. The chameleon looked up at Vector.

"Who did you call?" he softly asked.

"Erm, it's a secret. But hey, I guess we can get into a new topic. Um, Christmas is comin' soon!" replied Vector.

"Ah, yes… Christmas. I had almost forgotten it was getting closer."

"Wait, ya know what Christmas is?"

"Yes, though I believe you celebrate it more different here than from my village."

"Most likely. But hey, I just probably wanna let ya know that I'm most likely gunna head back home fer Christmas break, and I won't be back until the start of January. Ya can deal with that, right?"

Espio nodded.

"That's good."

Vector then stretched as he walked over to his bunk, plopping his large frame on it.

"Man, I'm tired. And it isn't even the last game of the season yet." he said.

"You still have one more game, right?" replied Espio.

"Yup, finals against Empire City U. After that, football season is over to make way for wrestlin' season. I can tell ya Mighty's gunna be the busy one now."

"Perhaps we should visit him while he's doing that."

"Doesn't sound too bad. Maybe we'll head with Knux to one of his wrestlin' matches one day. Anyway, Espio, I'm beat. Ya can stay up watchin' yer little nature show, but turn the volume down, okay?"

The chameleon nodded yet again as he pressed the volume button on the TV remote. Soon after, Espio turned out the lights as he heard Vector loudly snoring. As he continued to watch the show on TV however, a thought lingered in Espio's mind.

 _"Perhaps… I shall get Vector a gift for Christmas, as a thank you for everything he's done for me."_


	10. Chapter 10

**(AN: Heyyyy, it's been a while! Sorry, my proofreader's been gone for a while, but she's back again. Hopefully this new chapter pleases everyone, as it's got plenty of fluff, and it's long. Not to mention, towards the end, Espio's gunna come to a realization, but that's all I'm gunna say :P**

 **So, I guess in other news, we're about halfway done with the fic. Sad I know, but hey, we still got time to enjoy more chapters and fluff until the end! And as for the cover, I still need to talk to my friend (who is the proofreader btw) about that, as I'm not sure if she's finished with it yet.**

 **And one more thing that's gunna be a bit important. I wanna give special thanks to user "ShimmeringKnight", who posted this review for Chapter 4:**

 **"**

 **I wonder if Espio is aware of gay relationships? If he lived in a traditional region, would the residents there have even acknowledged the possibility of homosexual relationships?"**

 **Thanks to you sir or madame, you have given me a really great idea while writing this chapter :3.**

 **Anyway, enough rambling, here we go.)**

* * *

The day had finally come; the night of the football finals between Mobius U vs Empire City U. Much like the last game, this game was going to be away. This time however, the game was going to be played at Mobius dome, which is mainly used for major league football games. To say that Vector was ecstatic was an understatement.

"Bein' at the Mobius dome is like a lifelong dream! Like, I've always wanted to be there. Gawd, be still mah beatin' heart." Vector said. The crocodile's excitement made Espio smile.

"Well, it may be exciting, but be sure that your excitement doesn't distract you from your performance." said the chameleon.

"Yer right… I gotta focus on the game like I did on the last game."

Suddenly, Vector saw Espio reach into his bag and pull out something from it. He walked back to the crocodilian quarterback and placed it into his hand, closing it with his own hand.

"Keep this with you for your game. This is "omamori", a good luck charm from where I'm from. I am putting my faith in you winning. After all, you said this team was possibly going to be difficult to play against." explained Espio. Vector took a look at the omamori charm.

"Whoa… this is cool. And… thanks, Espio. It means a lot to me that yer puttin' yer faith in me. Empire City U's gotta strong as hell team, so we need to put all the focus we got in this."

"There you go, now, go get that team, Vector."

Soon after, Vector took a bus along with the rest of the team along with Coach Augustus. As the bus drove off, Espio waved as he walked back to the dorm.

* * *

It was now halftime into the game as both teams huddled together. Coach Augustus stepped in the middle and looked around at his team.

"Alright team, you're all doing a great job out there so far. But man, have we found a match." he said. "Empire City's coach knows how to train his team well."

The large polar bear looked at the coach of Empire City U; Helmut Von Stryker. A large, muscular dingo, Coach Stryker even intimidated Coach Augustus due to him being the same height and size as him. The team noted his calm and cool demeanor, which put the team on edge.

"Unlike coach, that guy hasn't yelled at one point. That's what kinda disturbs me about him." Knuckles whispered to Vector. For most of the time, Coach Augustus went through new positions for people to play, and new strategies. As halftime came to a close, Coach Augustus looked at his watch.

"This is it all of you. Let's come together one last time." he said. Everyone put their hand in the middle as the team looked at each other.

"Make me proud, boys. One… two… three…"

"MOBIUS!"

And with that, the team ran back to the field.

* * *

Back at the dorm, Espio watched the entire game on TV. He felt an excitement in his stomach anytime he saw Vector on-screen. He'd "cheer" to himself watching the crocodile run, football in hand.

"You go, Vector!" The chameleon cheered. The crocodilian quarterback made a successful touchdown, and Espio unshamelessly clapped for him. With the touchdown came two more points for Mobius U, the team catching up in points with Empire City U.

More and more of the game carried on, and it was nearing towards end game. The foreign exchange student was on the edge of his seat (or, more so his legs, as he was on the floor, sitting on them).

"Come on, Vector… don't let me down… Don't let the school down… You've come this far with your team; it's time to show them that you are number one!" Espio said to himself. He closed his eyes and braced himself, not even wanting to watch what was on screen.

It was only five minutes later that Espio opened his eyes as soon as he heard loud cheering. The commentators began to clap as they announced that Mobius U has won, making them the champions of this year's football season.

 _"Wa ̄i!"_ Espio said in his native tongue, putting his fist into the air as he jumped up. He softly chuckled to himself as he sat back down, watching the entire Mobius U team get in one large group hug. Everyone soon began to wave at the audience as Espio continued to watch. As he did however, the chameleon noticed that Vector looked into the camera and started waving, almost like… he was waving to him.

Espio waved back as he smiled. His crocodilian friend must have been so happy up there. If the foreign exchange student were there, he would kiss him right then and there.

…

 _"Wait... kiss him?"_ he thought. Why would he want to kiss Vector? He was male after all. Was it even possible for males to even kiss other males? Back home, it was custom that relationships were between man and woman, but never once has anyone mentioned man and man, and to an extent, woman and woman.

Everything around him seemed to have freezed as questions about this situation ran faster in Espio's head than any sort of question he faced back home.

* * *

The entire Mobius U team entered their locker room with a sigh. The game against Empire City U proved to be their toughest challenge, and yet, they were able to overcome it. Vector walked over to his locker and immediately pulled off his shirt.

"Don't forget, boys, be sure to take everything you take off with you, since we won't be using this locker again until next season for the next school year." Coach Augustus reminded everyone.

"Yes, sir." Everyone responded. Vector placed all of his football clothing into his locker and grabbed a towel, ready for a nice hot shower.

"I wonder how Espio's holdin' up…" he asked himself. It was then that he heard someone call his name.

"Who said that?" he asked aloud.

"Us. Get over here."

Vector looked and saw three of his teammates; Connery Horse, Monk Gorilla, and Rudy Lizard. The crocodilian quarterback walked over to them.

"Yo there, guys!" he said, wanting to be friendly. "Say, nice job out there! Ya guys did great!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever." said Connery. "Listen up, Vector. I heard you talking to yourself about that little foreign exchange kid."

"So? I just wanted to know how he's doin'. I am his guide after all."

"But he can speak English perfectly, mate." replied Rudy. "You just wanna have an excuse to get outta here and see 'im."

"Whaddya even talkin' 'bout, guys?"

"Let's put it more simply: you two better chill with your bromance, otherwise you'll get people thinking you two fuck behind closed doors." said Monk. Vector was completely taken aback, his jaw dropping.

"W-What?! Alrighty, you three don't know what yer talkin' 'bout! Just cause me and Espio are really great friends, doesn't mean that we're gay fer each other! Gawd, can't a guy be best friends with another guy without everyone thinkin' we're fuckbuddies or somethin'?!" Vector argued back.

"Uh-huh, a likely story." replied Monk. Vector sucked his teeth.

"Ugh… I'm outta here, screw ya three."

Vector walked away from Connery, Monk, and Rudy as he headed to the shower.

 _"It's not like I like Espio or anythin'…"_ thought the crocodile, the words of his teammates leaving a sour taste in his mouth. _"I mean, yeah he's a good friend, but that doesn't mean we're gunna start bei_ n' _actin' like a couple or somethin'…"_

* * *

Returning back to the dorm, normal clothes back on, headphones on full blast, and duffle bag in hand, Vector was soon stopped by Sally, who had to tap him on the shoulder.

"Huh?"

"No loud music playing after hours. Some people are sleeping right now." Sally reminded Vector.

"Alright, alright." Vector groaned, turning down the headphones.

"By the way, Vector. I've got something for you, I meant to give this to you a while back but I kept forgetting."

Sally tossed a newspaper to the crocodile.

"Turn to the sports section and look at the bottom. Anyway, I'll be off now."

The chipmunk RA walked away as Vector opened up the newspaper. Looking at the sports section where Sally told him to look, he continued walking to his dorm while reading the section, which was the report Soar did during the game against Grand Metropolis U.

" **VICTORY AGAINST GRAND METROPOLIS**

Mobius U football team wins against Grand Metropolis U's team, heading towards finals

Saturday night saw the victory of Mobius U's football team against Grand Metropolis U's team. The game was a close match, Mobius U with scoring 22 compared to Grand Metropolis' 20 points. Ending the game with the last two points was defensive tackler Knuckles Echidna, age 19, and wide receiver Thrash the Tasmanian Devil, age 21.

Many of the boys on the team commented that while nerve wracking, especially during the beginning of the game, they were able to keep their composure. One player told me about his experiences before and during the game.

"Well at first, in the days prior to the game, I'll admit I was pretty nervous. But, I got mah roomie to thank fer calmin' me down." commented Vector Crocodile, age 20 and current quarterback for the Mobius U team. "He told me not to focus on losin', sayin' that it'll become reality if I keep thinkin' 'bout losin'. So when I found mahself thinkin' more 'n more 'bout winnin', whaddya know? I found mahself doin' better!"

Vector gave his thanks to his roommate, Espio Chameleon, age 19, who is a foreign exchange transfer student from Northern Mobius. Earlier this month, this student solved an issue involving the act of vandalism against the school, and discovering the perpetrators of said incident, who were five students from Crisis City U. It seems that whatever the case may be, these two reptiles are quite good friends.

With this game wrapping up, the finals are all that remains. Many may be rooting for Mobius U, while others may be rooting for the other school that has won, but you'll have to take my word for it; it'll be possibly one of the biggest games this school year.

 _-written by sports journalist, Soar the Eagle."_

"I'll give that eagle credit, he sure writes an accurate story." said Vector to himself.

Finally reaching back to the dorm, he tore his attention away from the newspaper and knocked on the door. The crocodilian quarterback whistled to himself as Espio soon opened the door.

"Hey there, Espio!" he exclaimed, smiling down at him. The fuchsia reptile smiled back.

"H-Hello, Vector… Come on inside."

Espio opened the door for the crocodilian quarterback as he sat down in a chair by the desk.

"I saw your game on TV, congratulations for winning this season. Did my good luck charm help?"

"Heh, ya bet yer ass it did. Here, catch!"

Vector pulled the good luck charm out of his pocket and tossed it to Espio. He wasn't able to catch it, and it landed on the floor. As the chameleon bent over to pick it up, Vector walked passed him, looking in his direction.

 _"He looks a bit worried 'bout somethin'… I wonder why…"_ he thought to himself. Landing on his bed, the crocodile sighed.

"Tired?" asked Espio.

"Ya bet yer ass. And I still got assignments I haven't done." Vector replied. "Fffffuck. Not to mention, I still gotta fill out mah courses fer next semester. AND, to top it all off, one of mah classes has final exams soon. Double fuck…"

"Do you know what you want for your classes?"

"Eh, perhaps a language class, maybe somethin' involvin' computers or that kinda jazz. I'll find somethin'…"

Vector got off from the bed and grabbed his course selection sheet for next semester. He looked through the various courses before turning his attention to Espio.

"Whadda 'bout ya? Do ya know what yer takin'?"

"Valdez is helping me pick assignments tomorrow."

"That's good to hear."

Vector scanned the various language classes available. While there were some language classes that he took in middle and high school, Vector noted a Japanese class available. Looking at Espio yet again, he picked up a pen and wrote it down.

"Perhaps I'll take that just fer Espio." he said to himself.

* * *

 **A FEW DAYS LATER – THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS BREAK**

It was finally reaching towards the end of the first semester as Christmas break came closer. With midterms and final exams for first semester completed and second semester course selection sheets filled out, Vector could safely say they could go along with winter break stress free.

However, not the same could be said for Espio.

The day before winter break marked the day him, Vector, Knuckles, and Mighty would start their "gift exchange". He was fortunate to have the echidna and armadillo, who told him what Vector mainly liked; either anything involving football, music, and horror movies. They had even given the courtesy of buying Espio the gift for Vector, and if he asks, claim he got it for the crocodile.

"I-I can't accept this! What you two have done for me so I can give Vector a good gift is far too generous!" The chameleon claimed.

"Don't worry, Espio. It's for a friend after all." Mighty assured Espio.

And so, with his gift wrapped up; a CD of the soundtrack to Vector's favorite horror movie of last year, which was composed by the crocodile's favorite band. According to Knuckles, Vector apparently "wouldn't shut up about that for a long time, and he always said he wanted the soundtrack."

When night finally came, a knocking at the door was present. Vector, who was listening to the radio at the time, turned it down and got up from the desk, walking to the door. Opening it up, he saw Knuckles and Mighty standing right in the doorway.

"Merry Christmas you two. We aren't late are we?" asked Knuckles.

"Naw, naw, c'mon in." replied Vector. The muscular echidna and armadillo walked inside, placing their gifts for Vector and Espio on the ground.

"Alright, let's get this started." Knuckles said.

* * *

A few minutes later, most of the gifts were already opened. The four were quite pleased with their gifts, especially Espio, who wasn't expecting Knuckles or Mighty to give him any gifts.

"Oh yeah, hold on Espio, I've got yer gift fer ya." Vector said, getting up. However, Espio stopped him.

"Erm… Vector… It's fine." he said

"Huh? Whaddya mean, Espio?"

The chameleon got up as he walked up to Vector, getting on his tiptoes to reach up to him.

 _"May… may we exchange gifts in private? If that's okay with you?"_ Espio whispered to the large green reptile.

 _"Well… okay I guess. I dunno why but I dun have a problem with it."_

 _"Let's wait until Knuckles and Mighty are gone to do it."_

The way Espio said his last sentence made Vector stop.

 _"Oh gawd… it's like Espio's tryin' to flirt with me if he describes it like that."_ thought Vector. He could feel his face getting warm.

"The cold's not getting to you, is it Vector?" Knuckles asked. The crocodile returned to reality, shaking his head.

"U-Uh, naw! Don't worry, I'll be fine." he said.

The defensive tackler shrugged his shoulders as he went back to talking to the armadillo wrestler.

* * *

As soon as Knuckles and Mighty left, Vector and Espio looked at each other.

"I suppose we're gunna do our little thing first?" asked the crocodile.

"Yes, I agree." replied Espio. He grabbed his gift while Vector grabbed his own. The two swapped gifts and looked at them.

"Whaddya think it is?" asked Vector.

"I'm not sure. It feels like fabric almost." Espio replied. "What about you? What do you think yours is?"

"Feels like a CD case, I just know it. Why doncha open yer's first?"

Espio nodded as he opened the package up. He pulled out the sweater Vector asked his mother to send to him and looked at it.

"A sweater?" he asked.

"Not just any sorta sweater, this was mah sweater in mah freshman year of high school, that was, until I outgrew it heavily. I got it fer ya cause… well… I thought it'd fit ya, and not only that, I thought ya'd like to have somethin' of mine. Go on, try it on." replied Vector, placing his hands behind his back.

Espio put on the sweater above his kimono. Immediately, he could somewhat sense Vector's scent from the sweater, even if the crocodilian quarterback had said he hadn't worn it in a few years. Not to mention, the sweater was nice and cozy, making it perfect for winter days.

"Whaddya think 'bout it?"

"What do I think? Ha ha, I love it!" replied Espio. He looked up at Vector and smiled at him. The crocodile grinned back at him, happy that he was able to make Espio laugh, even if softly, for the second time. The foreign exchange student bowed.

"Thank you. Your gift was very generous." he said. "Now please, open yours. I think you will quite enjoy it."

Vector tore open the wrapping paper in less than a few seconds. Upon seeing the contents, the crocodile almost dropped his gift.

"It's… it's the Bloodthirst soundtrack… it was performed by mah favorite band… I've been wantin' this soundtrack physically fer such a long time, but I could never find it anywhere… and I dun wanted the digital album… Espio… how did ya?"

"Let's just say, I go the extra mile." Espio said. A large smile cracked on Vector's face.

"Y'know what? C'mere, ya deserve a big ass hug." he said. The chameleon walked over and hugged the crocodile. He could feel Vector's long, strong arms wrap around him. It felt like he was pulling him into a bearhug.

 _"I could get used to this…"_ Espio thought. Making sure Vector wasn't looking; he softly nuzzled his head into Vector's chest, feeling a soft blush on his face. Not long after though, the large green reptile let go of the hug, leaving a disappointed Espio behind.

"Thanks so much, Espio, ya don't know how much this means to me. Yer an awesome as hell friend, and I'm glad yer here with me. Merry Christmas." said Vector.

"And the same to you." replied Espio.

* * *

Friday soon hit, meaning it was now only a few days until the start of winter break. Many of the students and faculty and staff had begun packing their things for the holidays, while other's stayed behind because they had nowhere else to go.

Espio was helping Vector pack his items, getting the last few things the crocodile wanted before he zipped it up.

"Alrighty, should be good now." said Vector. Unlike Espio, who was staying behind since no one could take him back to his village, the crocodilian quarterback was returning home for the holidays. This somewhat saddened Espio, as it meant he would be gone for a while, not to mention no one else he knew was staying.

There was a knocking at the door, and a female voice saying "Alright you two, I'm here to check on your stuff. You better have it ready, cause I'd like to be on the road right now."

"Hold on, Sally." replied Vector. The large green reptile walked to the door and opened it up for the chipmunk RA. She walked in and examined the dorm room. Checking off stuff from her clipboard, she said "And who's staying and leaving?"

"I'm leavin'." said Vector.

"I shall be staying." said Espio. Sally nodded and ticked off Vector and Espio's name.

"That's all. I'll be going now."

Sally exited the dorm, leaving Vector and Espio behind. Just as the crocodile grabbed his duffle bag, he turned to Espio.

"Anyway, I think it's time fer me to head out. I dun wanna be in traffic fer a long time." he said.

"Y-Yes… I… I shall miss you."

"Heh, I'll miss ya too."

Vector wrapped his arm around Espio and patted his back. "Ya be good okay? Ya can deal with me bein' gone fer a while, right?"

"I promise. And yes…"

"Alrighty, well, I'm off."

And with that, Vector exited the dorm, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

 **A FEW DAYS LATER**

Espio sat on his bunk, looking up at the ceiling. It had only been a few days since Vector had been gone and already, he missed his roommate.

 _"I said I would miss him after all… why do I feel melancholy though?"_ The foreign exchange student thought. Something must have added up to this; his longing for the crocodile, the hug the two reptiles shared when they exchanged gifts, where he had sneakily nuzzled Vector, and most importantly; the thought of him kissing Vector while he stood in that field.

 _"This must mean something… perhaps I should find out why I am feeling this way about Vector."_

Espio got up from the bunk and made his way out of the dorm. He knew where to immediately go for answers.

* * *

Mobius University's library is known for being so large, that it also doubles as a public library for the ordinary mobian not in college.

Espio had been to the library many times with Vector, mainly to finish homework and to study for tests. On their first visit, Vector had gone up to a woman, who he ended up learning was the librarian, and asked about the topic he needed.

 _"She must know where I can find my issue."_ The fuchsia reptile thought to himself. He walked up to the counter and talked to the librarian, a blue pika.

"Yes? May I help you?" she asked, turning her attention away from her book and to Espio.

"Erm… I-I'm looking for a topic…" The chameleon replied.

"What kind of topic are you looking for?"

"Well… um… it's where… um… how can I say it?"

"Would you like to search on our computers? I understand you may be a bit embarrassed to say your topic. We may have many topics on what you're trying to tell me, okay?"

"O-Oh, yes. Thank you."

Espio walked away from the pika and walked over to one of the computers. Sitting down, he went on the internet and brought up one of the search engines.

"Let's see…" he said to himself. Slowly typing (as he wasn't used to computers, this being his second time using one), Espio looked behind him and looked back at what he typed.

 _"Men who like other men."_

"This should be good enough."

Hitting enter, Espio's research began. And soon, after many minutes of scrolling through text and articles, all of the chameleon's questions were answered.

Apparently, according to what he had read, the term for a mobian of any gender who experiences sexual and or romantic attraction towards anyone of the same gender as themselves is known as a "homosexual/romantic" mobian, or the term what many use: "gay". Along with that, he had done research on other sorts of sexual/romantic orientations, some he had never even heard of.

With that done, Espio had done a bit of thinking. Was he considered "gay" due to his thoughts about Vector?

He was taken back to his times back in his village. Espio remembered that not one female caught his attention, much to the dismay of his mother and father. Yet, at the same time, he never felt any attraction towards any male he knew.

So why was Vector different compared to anyone else he met?

Perhaps it was how nice he was. Maybe it was his smile, which Espio always liked. Or it was how he looked during practice, always looking rough and rugged, but having a heart of gold under that appearance. Even Espio admitted to himself; Vector usually looked nice in whatever he wore. He always dawned that same gold chain and headphones, but wore something different every day.

There were many things that Espio could list that he liked about Vector. And it was going through all of those mentally did the fuchsia reptile come to a conclusion that made him freeze. He looked at the computer screen and closed the window, staring at his reflection through the glass of the monitor.

"If… if all of that's what I like about him… then… that means… I… I might love Vector."


	11. Chapter 11

**(AN: I isssss backkkk :3. Was finally able to get in contact with my proofreader, who said she doesn't plan to go back on Skype over an issue which I won't delve into. However, I will mention one thing.**

 **If any of you were waiting for the cover image by the proofreader, I'm sorry to say but she has told me that she lost motivation for the image, and she doesn't really like the image enough to show me. I do however have a backup plan for a cover image, but if that doesn't work out, I'll mention it next chapter.**

 **And speaking of next chapter, I am really ahead in chapters. As in I've already finished the next chapter and it already is proofread. So, tomorrow, or at least before next weekend, you'll also get an update. Lucky huh? :P**

 **I will also make note of one last thing: I'll be starting school on Tuesday. While it won't hinder my progress on writing the fic, I imagine it'll take me longer to write since I usually write an hour before bed on school nights. But hey, we just have to see.**

 **Anyway, this chapter: Looks like our two favorite reptiles are starting to realize their feelings! What are they gunna do about it? Well, you just gotta see...**

 **One last thing, I'm gunna make a reference to an obscure game in this chapter. If you get it, you get an internet cookie :)**

 **Imma shut up now and let you enjoy this.)**

* * *

Espio walked back from the library, numerous thoughts going through his mind quickly.

 _"How… how could I be in love with Vector? It still doesn't make sense to me…"_ The chameleon thought. He rubbed his temples as he walked back to his dorm.

 _"Perhaps I am thinking far into this. Maybe I am tired… Yes… that's probably it…"_

As the foreign exchange student walked past the canteen, a voice stopped him.

 _"Hello. May I interest you in a carbonated beverage?"_

Espio turned his head to the canteen, where he saw something unusual. The regular old drink machine was gone, and instead, was replaced by a brand new, sleek red and black painted machine. What interested Espio the most however were the omega symbols on each side of the machine.

"What's this? I don't remember the school getting this." Espio said to himself. The fuchsia reptile walked up to the machine and looked at the screen, which was displaying all sorts of soft drinks.

 _"Greetings, I am E-123 Omega, manufactured by the ST Vending Corporation. May I interest you in a carbonated beverage?"_

Espio jumped back, realizing the voice was coming from the vending machine in front of him.

As the chameleon continued to be fascinated by the vending machine who dubbed himself "E-123 Omega", he fiddled around in his pockets for any sort of money. However, he had none.

It was then that Espio noticed a "free sample" button on the screen, and pressed it.

 _"If you have your school I.D. with you, you may scan it for a free drink of any kind. However, please note that only one drink is limited per student."_ Omega explained in his monotone voice.

Getting out his I.D., Espio scanned the card onto the card scanner portion of the machine.

 _"Thank you. Now, please choose a drink listed on screen."_

Espio looked through what must have been hundreds upon hundreds of drinks, and soon he settled on iced lemon tea.

 _"Would you like it in a can, or a bottle?"_

Espio selected can, and soon, his drink fell into the drink dispenser.

 _"Thank you. I hope to be of service again."_

As the chameleon was about to walk away, Omega made him stop one last time.

 _"By the by, I have examined your body, and have noticed that you seem to be stressed, as your stress levels have reached more than fifty percent. Is something the matter?"_

Espio was confused, was Omega talking to him directly? How could he tell that he was stressed? Could machines do that? Testing his theory, Espio responded.

"N-Nothing…" The foreign exchange student lied. The talking vending machine soon replied, much to Espio's surprise.

 _"I am making sure. If I must give advice however, lie down and take a rest."_

Espio nodded as he headed back to the dorm.

* * *

 **A WEEK LATER**

It was now the end of Winter break, meaning all the students who went home were now coming back.

Espio waited since morning for Vector's arrival, and soon enough around a quarter past one, a knock was heard on the door. With a small smile on his face, the chameleon walked up to the door and opened it, seeing the ever familiar muscular crocodile, dressed in a white sports jersey and blue jeans, standing in the doorway.

"Yo there, Espio!" Vector said. "How have ya been?"

"Good. Things did get boring after a while, mainly due in part since you weren't here, but I didn't mind it." replied Espio.

"That's great, that's great. I hadda funass time at mah folks' place. But I'm glad to be here, mainly to see ya again."

Espio felt a slight blush on his face. _"Vector had been waiting to see me again…"_ he thought. The chameleon helped Vector unpack all of his stuff from his duffle bags. As the two reptiles did, Vector handed Espio a package.

"What's this?" asked the fuchsia reptile.

"Somethin' mah parents wanted me to give ya. I told 'em all 'bout ya, and it just so happens that mah folks have visited Northern Mobius before. I think it's called an "Amaha" or somethin' like that."

Espio opened the small package and took out an amulet. He looked at it in awe.

"It's an Amahagane!" Espio said.

"Amahagane?"

"I assume this is merely an imitation, but in our ancient history, the Amahagane are amulets of power that were bestowed by our gods, which gave anyone who wielded them god-like powers. Many of our family's scrolls depict this amulet, and it also known as "Steel of Heaven" in English."

"Whoa… nice… I didn't know it had that much history behind it. When mah parents brought it back from their trip, they thought it was some cool looking amulet. After all, they bought it at a gift shop"

As the two reptiles looked at the Amahagane amulet, Vector spoke up.

"Do… do ya want me to put it on fer ya?"

"I would be much obliged." replied Espio. The crocodile skidded over to the chameleon as he handed his the amulet. Vector put it around Espio as he then fumbled around trying to get the amulet on.

"Damn thing…" he muttered. The large green reptile softly cursed his large hands, which were definitely not fit for something such as this.

Yet, as Vector continued to have trouble, Espio merely stayed quiet, due to this being one of the times the crocodile and chameleon would be close to each other physically. The foreign exchange student could feel Vector's back lying on his own back.

 _"I hope he doesn't see my face right now…"_ Espio thought to himself. Soon enough, Vector finally was able to get the Amahgane amulet on Espio.

"Ya look pretty good in that, not gunna lie, Espio." said the crocodile.

"Do I?" replied the chameleon.

Vector softly grinned as he looked at his roommate. _"Yeah… ya look awesome and… cute wearin' that. I mean damn, real good."_ he thought.

It was then that Vector froze.

 _"Did I just call Espio cute?"_

The large green reptile shook his head; he must have been gone for a while if he's been having thoughts like that.

 _"Maybe it's cause I've been gone from him fer a while. Yeah, that's probably it. Nothin' more… I hope…"_

* * *

 **A FEW DAYS LATER**

"Alright, so, if you all remember homonyms, which I assume you all learned in either middle school or high school, words can basically…"

Vector yawned as Professor Finitevus lectured on and on with his lesson. Looking down at his notes, the crocodile then stared at Espio, who was copying down what Professor Finitevus was saying along with Valdez standing right by him, who was translating his words for Espio.

 _"Wait a minute… Espio's wearin' the amulet and the sweater I gave him."_ Vector thought. He was a bit surprised at first, but quickly smiled to himself.

 _"Class… gotta focus on class, not yer roommate!"_ A voice in Vector's head said. The large green reptile tore his attention away from the chameleon as he looked at the white echidna professor.

Yet, no matter how much Vector tried to focus on his schoolwork, the thoughts about Espio kept hitting his mind. It even got to a point where he soon had a daydream, where it was the night he had sex with Julie-Su, only instead of the echidna cheerleader, Espio took her place. And in the end, he felt satisfied and happy.

Vector shuddered as his daydream ended.

 _"Great, now ya gotta be thinkin' 'bout havin' sex with yer roomie. Gawd, Vector, yer such a perv…"_ he thought to himself. Vector felt dirty thinking about that, and once class was over, Vector quickly headed to the showers for a quick wash.

Scrubbing himself hard and fast, Vector sat on the floor, feeling the water spray on his muscular back as he looked at the wall.

"And I can all attribute those thoughts cause of one reason…" he said to himself.

The reason? Vector was bisexual.

Truth be told, the crocodile didn't particularly know about his bisexuality all that well. It mainly started in middle school, where, along with looking at the girls in his class, he found himself looking at some of the boys. Vector could remember being confused by seeing them in the same light as girls, but didn't think much about it.

It was only in high school when he developed a crush on one of his male friends on his high school football team did Vector soon realize it. After a talk with his guidance counselor about his confusing feelings, she believed that Vector was in fact, bisexual, meaning that he liked mobians of at least two genders or more.

The crocodilian quarterback mainly kept it to himself, at least, until his junior year of high school, where he finally came out to his parents.

Unfortunately, they gave a very negative response. Vector's father yelled loudly at his son while his mother cried a lot, the argument ultimately ending with Vector being thrown out of the house.

It was possibly the scariest moment of Vector's life, and the crocodile truly believed he was to be homeless now. That was, until about an hour or two later, his parents found him and drove up to him, telling him to get into the car. From that point on, for the next few months, they rarely talked to Vector, and while not resenting him, Vector could tell the disappointment in their eyes.

It all changed once Vector graduated, his parents told him once they left that they were sorry for what they've done to him in response to his bisexuality, and that they will always accept him for who he is. And since then, the crocodile has been more comfortable about his sexuality.

But now, it seems that this issue has springed back to life. Out of anyone he could crush on, why Espio? What made him different? He was nothing more than a foreign exchange student, and that's it.

"I gotta ask someone 'bout this… but whom…"

It was then that the right person came up in his mind.

* * *

After drying up, one class later, and now on lunch break, Vector knocked on the door to Sally's RA room. He waited for a bit, until he heard the chipmunk say "enter".

The crocodile entered, seeing Sally sitting at her desk, a half-eaten ice cream sandwich and various opened books on it.

"Well, hello there mister star quarterback. Lemme guess, you wanna complain about something?" Sally asked, not even looking at Vector.

"Nah, it's somethin' else. I have a question fer ya."

It was then that Sally turned around. "Well, what kind of question are we dealing with? My research paper isn't gunna write itself you know."

"Well, I came to ya since ya had a bit more experience with college 'n stuff. Erm…"

"This is gunna be a while huh? Well, spit it out. What's the issue?"

"Er… well… this is gunna sound strange, especially comin' from me, but… did ya ever do… oh gawd, how do I say this… gay things while ya were in college, Sal?"

Sally stared at Vector for a while before rubbing her temples. "Oh boy, this is gunna be a loaded question, I just knew it."

"Get to the point, Sally."

The RA sighed yet again as she stood up.

"My point? It's quite simple actually. College is the perfect place to be if you want to try out anything. Like, literally anything. You wanna pass around blunts with your friends and get high? Go ahead; smoke all that weed. You think about starting to drink every night for that alcoholic fulfillment? Go ahead; drink to your heart's content. You decide that having sex with girls has gotten a bit stale so you wanna start fucking guys instead? Go ahead; fuck all the guys you want."

Sally got closer to Vector. "My ultimate point is that if you wanna try something, go for it. After college, you'll probably never get a chance like that again. Take it from someone who's already graduated from college."

"So, I should try to see first if anythin' happens?" replied Vector.

"Well no shit, I've kinda already said that by now."

"I think I got it now… Thanks, Sal…"

"Anytime kid. Now, on your way out, close the door and lock it. I'd much rather not be disturbed after this."

* * *

As Vector walked passed the various dorm doors, his mind was filled with thoughts.

 _"Alrighty… so maybe I'm a bit curious towards Espio…"_

The crocodilian quarterback passed by one door.

 _"And that's fine. College is the perfect place to test things out like Sally said."_

Then another.

 _"I'd like to fool 'round with Espio one of these days…"_

And finally, another door.

 _"Maybe… maybe Espio wants to fool 'round with me too…"_

As it was getting close to the end of lunch break, Vector thought it would be best to find Espio. Heading outside, he looked around for the chameleon. He soon found him meditating on the grass, sitting only a few feet away from a large purple cat named Big, and his pet frog named "Froggy".

"Yo there, Espio." said Vector, sitting down next to his friend.

"Hello, Vector." replied the fuchsia reptile. "I assume class is coming up, correct?"

"Yeah, that's right. Doin' a bit of pre-class meditation?"

"If that's how you wish to see it, then yes."

The two reptiles sat in silence for a few minutes before Vector checked the time on his phone.

"Well, looks like it's time fer me to go." he said. Just as the large green reptile was about to get up, he got a text message.

"Now who could that be?" he asked himself. As he read the text, he got Espio's attention.

"Hey, Espio, Knux is inviting us to Mighty's first wrestlin' match of the season."

"Really now? Interesting. I do not mind going."

"Alrighty, I'll tell him that,"

Vector typed on the virtual keypad, sending his reply to the red echidna.

* * *

 **LATER THAT EVENING**

Vector, Espio, and Knuckles sat on the bleachers of the gymnasium, watching Mighty wrestle down an opponent.

"Y'know, plenty of people often tell me I should do wrestling. To be real, it doesn't interest me all that well. Not only that, but I don't get to pile drive people or throw chairs and tables at them." mentioned Knuckles. Vector began to chuckle.

"Ha ha! Man, I agree. Mah dad was always like "Son, I'm proud of ya bein' a football player. Real proud. But y'know, sometimes I'm a bit disappointed ya didn't go into wrestlin'." replied Vector, imitating his father's tone. Knuckles smirked as the two football players returned their attention to the match.

Interestingly enough, they saw that Espio had been paying close attention to the game.

"You know, back in my village, we had something similar to this "wrestling"." he began.

"Did you?" replied the defensive tackler.

"Yes. It was called "judo". I've participated in judo in my-"

The chameleon then stopped, realizing that he was close from mentioning his ninja academy. Remembering that Knuckles had no idea about that, he closed his mouth and continued to watch the match.

"Funny, I've actually seen a few of those judo matches mahself. But that's mainly when I catch 'em on TV." said Vector.

The conversation soon came to a close moments after.

* * *

After the match, Vector, Knuckles, and Espio stayed behind to congratulate Mighty on his victory today. Soon after however, Vector and Espio had to leave.

As the two reptiles walked in the moonlight, all bundled up from the cold, Vector was conflicted whether or not to spill the beans out to Espio.

 _"It seems like a smart idea… best to get everythin' off mah chest… but… naw… I dun think I can do it."_ he thought. Unbeknownst to him however, Espio was conflicted as well.

Perhaps some could tell that the two felt shy around each other, some could say that they're merely just good friends, but the truth in the matter is, they haven't realized that they'd soon have to confess their conflicted feelings.


	12. Chapter 12

**(AN: So guys, tell me, what do you think about the new cover image? I wanna give my thanks to Cosmictruffle (author of A Joint Venture, my personal fav vecpio fic :P) for letting me use this image as the cover.**

 **...**

 **ok so maybe the clothes that they're wearing in the image isn't what they really wear in this fic but it's close enough :P**

 **So, I think I'm ready to tell you all that... IT'S TIME. I have been waiting 12 chapters for this moment, and now, the time has come. What is this moment? Heh heh, well, I think you have an idea ;)**

 **No dilly-dallying, I think it's time you all read what you've been waiting for too.)**

 **(EDIT: or you know, this site could erase the new cover like every hour meaning i have to revert it back to normal. ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh)**

* * *

All throughout the month of January, Vector and Espio had to deal with their new-found, conflicted feelings for each other. They could be doing something as small as one staring at the other, while different times, it could be longing for the other in dreams, or even in public for physical contact.

The two reptiles weren't sure when they'd confess their feelings, and even with the fears of rejection, they knew that one day, they would have to.

So far, the new semester had been going great so far. Granted, while it continued to be cold, and snow continued to fall almost every day, Vector and Espio were thoroughly enjoying their new classes (especially Vector and his Japanese class, often telling Espio the new phrases he learned from the lecture that day).

It wasn't until mid-February that things truly change.

One morning, Vector was woken up by knocking on his door. He rumbled and groaned as he got up, scratching his back.

"Who the hell is here this early?..." he mumbled. Opening the door, he saw a bouquet of roses on the floor by the doorway. Picking them up, he saw a note which read:

 _"Happy Valentine's day_ ;) _Hopefully this means I get a kiss from you…_

 _-JS"_

Vector groaned, knowing who gave him the bouquet.

 _"I told Julie-Su god knows how many times that I ain't interested? Especially not after that one night stand!"_ He thought. The crocodile threw the gift away, not interested in what the echidna cheerleader had to offer him.

"Wait… is it really Valentine's? Or is Julie-Su tryin' to fuck with me this early in the mornin'?" The large green reptile said to himself. Checking the calendar by the bulletin board, the date read "February 14th" and underneath that, it read "Valentine's Day".

 _"Huh… lookit that…"_

It was then that Espio woke up. Yawning, he turned his attention to Vector.

"Oh… good morning, Vector. You're up rather early, and I figured such due to some noises I heard." The chameleon said.

"Don't worry 'bout that, Espio. It's nothin' real huge."

Espio got out of bed, changing out of his attire and putting on his normal clothes. As he got his geta shoes on, he began to walk out of the room for breakfast before class.

"H-Hey! Wait up!"

* * *

As Vector and Espio walked to the dining hall, the two reptiles walked behind Julie-Su and her two cheerleader friends; Honey Cat and Tiara Boobowski, the three holding a conversation.

"Oh my gosh, Julie, tell me you gave Vector those roses!" Tiara excitedly said.

"Yup, left those by his door. I'm hoping he loved them!" replied Julie-Su. Tiara and Honey burst into small squeals.

"You sure picked the right guy to crush on!" said Honey. "Ohh… Vector… what a dreamy guy… how I wish a hunk like him would be my boyfriend…"

Vector and Espio simply looked at each other, both feeling discomfort from the use of words the three cheerleaders used towards Vector.

"Don't worry, Honey. You'll get a hot football player to start dating you one of these days. What about like, Knuckles?" Julie-Su replied.

"Doesn't he like Rouge though?"

"Thrash?"

"I don't know him all that well, besides, he kinda scares me actually!"

"Hm, what about… erm… oh, he's cute. He's tall. He's got gorgeous eyes, and a stunning smile. I didn't say a name, but he popped into your head, didn't he?"

"Oh yes!" Tiara and Honey squealed. Yet, as Espio heard Julie-Su said her statement, it was Vector that popped up in his mind.

 _"What am I thinking?"_ he thought. He shook his head, and tried not to make of the situation in his mind.

The three cheerleaders continued to talk about the boys on the football team. Vector, soon getting tired of listening to the three, walked faster as Espio followed behind him. Julie-Su, Honey, and Tiara gasped and giggled, realizing that Vector had been listening to them.

As they finally reached the dining hall, Espio tugged on Vector's arm.

"Um, Vector? What were those girls talking about back there?" he asked. Vector sighed in response.

"Well, it's Valentine's Day, and of course, Julie-Su still thinks I gotta crush on her, when I don't." The crocodilian quarterback replied.

"Valentine's?"

"It's like… a day of love basically. So like, couples spend the day together, feelin's are told, all that jazz."

Espio buzzed up when he heard that last phrase. _"Feelings are told?"_ he thought.

It was then an idea popped up in his head.

 _"If feelings are told… then perhaps… I could confess everything to Vector. Like, tonight I could do it. But how? How are feelings told?"_

"And… these feelings… how do people express them?"

"Through words, gifts, physical contact, stuff like that."

 _"Words…"_

In his culture, love is portrayed as a divine feeling bonded by god and torn only by death. If Espio knew he needed to confess his feelings, he knew to do it correctly, and perfectly. But what to say to Vector?

It was then that the foreign exchange student remembered the word for "I love you" in Japanese: "aishiteru". Despite knowing the word in Japanese, Espio didn't know it in English.

It was then that Espio formed a plan in his head.

 _"I just hope it goes well."_

* * *

As the two reptiles ate away at their breakfast, they began to hear silent banter between the various students about some "couple's dance".

"The hell is that about?" Vector asked Knuckles, becoming too curious as to wanting to know.

"Apparently, one of the clubs here organized that for Valentine's Day tonight." explained the red echidna, stabbing his fork into a pile of hash browns. "At least, that's what I heard."

"And lemme guess, yer gunna ask Rouge fer a dance?"

Knuckles' face turned red. "U-Uh, m-maybe! What's it to ya?"

Mighty reached in close to Vector. "By maybe, he means it's one hundred percent positive its gunna happen."

"I heard that! Besides, you were telling me this morning that you were gunna ask Wave if you saw her!" yelled Knuckles.

"I'm not afraid to admit that. Y'know, unlike your so totally obvious crush on Rougie."

Knuckles facepalmed as Vector laughed.

"So what about you, Vector? You thinking of inviting someone?"

"Nah, not really." replied the crocodile.

"Oh c'mon, I'm sure Julie-Su would-"

"STOP, right there. Julie-Su? Yeah bud, it ain't happenin'."

"I dunno, you two seem like-"

"I explained it Mighty, all she wants to do is get in mah pants, and act like she loves me. When in reality, she's doin' it just cause she thinks I'm hot and nothin' more."

"Tch tch, oh Veccy, you don't learn do you?"

Espio began to process everything that the muscular armadillo said. A dance? Maybe this is where he could gather the courage to confess his feelings.

Before he could think about it however, the chameleon heard footsteps behind him and turned around, seeing Julie-Su standing above him.

"Um… Vector?" she shyly asked.

The crocodile muttered a quick curse under his breath before looking at the echidna cheerleader. "Whaddya want, Julie-Su?"

"Well… I assume you heard about the dance that's happening tonight?"

"I did, whadda 'bout it?"

"D-Do… you… do you want to accompany me for the dance?!"

It wasn't long before Vector snorted. "Tch, I told ya how many times, Julie-Su?! I ain't interested in ya!"

"B-But what about on Hallo-"

"Ya stop right there, don't even continue. I dun wanna remember that, and just cuz that happened, doesn't mean I have the hots fer ya. So a no to yer question."

Julie-Su sighed as she walked away, Knuckles and Mighty looking at their reptilian friend.

"Whoa… you sure went off on her." said the red echidna. "Cold."

"Yeah, well, hopefully that'll teach her that I am not interested in her in the slightest."

Meanwhile, Espio simply sat in his seat, continuing to be silent. Truth be told however, while Julie-Su was asking Vector to the dance, Espio felt rather… jealous. Jealously was an emotion the foreign exchange student can say he's never experienced often, so seeing himself feeling envious towards Julie-Su only added in his confirmed crush for Vector.

 _"Lunch couldn't possibly end any sooner…"_ he thought.

* * *

And finally, the sun soon set as the time towards the dance inched nearer and nearer.

Vector was currently dressing himself in a white, button up dress shirt (that he got along with Knuckles and Mighty) and his best pair of pants. While he decided to not wear his headphones to the occasion, he did dawn his signature gold chain, under the claims that he "doesn't feel complete without it".

Meanwhile, Espio simply wore his normal attire. Originally, the muscular echidna wanted Espio to take one of the white shirts, but the chameleon declined. He rested his body against the wall as Vector was soon done.

"Hey, Espio, how do I look?" he asked. Espio looked up and almost turned beet red seeing Vector dressed in such way.

"U-Um… you look… very nice, Vector…" Espio said.

"Heh heh, thanks buddy!" Vector replied, softly blushing as he rubbed the back of his head.

 _"Seeing him be that cute… my urge to confess only grows…"_ Espio thought.

"So, do we head out?"

"I suppose so."

* * *

"Say, there goes Knux tryin' to ask Rouge fer a dance. Let's see if it gets anywhere."

"My money's on no."

"Ha ha! Well, we'll just have to see."

It was about thirty minutes since the two reptiles arrived at the dance, and Vector and Espio could say they were having a great time. With a few cups of fruit punch, the two weren't particularly in the mood to dance, but rather, to sit and converse with each other.

After sometime, Knuckles and Mighty sat next to the two reptiles. The echidna looked rather depressed, while the armadillo wrestler looked rather bashful, as his face was slightly pink.

"Well tell me, how did things go fer ya two?" Vector asked.

"Rouge rejected me…" Knuckles said. "Said she's not into a guy like me."

He then sighed. "I know one day we'll get together… but I guess for now, it's not meant to be."

"And whaddya 'boutcha Mighty?"

"Well… I… how do I say this? I got my next dance with Wave."

Knuckles groaned as Vector patted Mighty's back. "Hey, great job! Yer gunna woo her real well!"

"Heh heh, I hope. Oh! Next song's beginning!"

Mighty got up from his seat to find Wave as the yellow female mongoose DJ announced the next song, entitled "Let Me Hit It". As the song began, Espio got up from his seat.

"Um, Vector? I must use the restroom. I will be right back." he said.

"Alrighty."

The fuchsia reptile walked off as Vector bopped his head to the music playing. As he did however, he listened to the lyrics of the song.

 _"The music got her to_

 _Make her body move_

 _And when a body move, a body groove, a body oh_

 _It got me feeling like_

 _I wanna take her home"_

As he listened to the song, Vector for some reason, began to think of… Espio.

 _"Hm… I wonder how Espio would dance? Yeah, with a slim body like his, he could be a great dancer."_ he thought. Realizing what he thought however, Vector almost hit himself.

 _"Gahhh… do I need to get the hots fer Espio here of all places?!"_

Yet, even with his thoughts about Espio dancing, Vector debated on dancing with Espio for the next song.

 _"I mean, it's not gunna romantic or anythin', like, just between bros… nothin' more. Yeah, I'll do it."_

* * *

When Espio came back, Vector stood in front of him and placed his hands behind back.

"E-Erm… Espio? D'ya wanna… dance together?"

Espio's lemon yellow eyes seemed to almost shine. "D-Dance?"

"Y-Yeah… I mean, not like we're lovers... but as bros. Ya get me?"

"Yes… I… I don't mind."

"Well c'mon! Let's go!"

As the two reptiles got in the middle of the dance floor, the DJ got on the microphone yet again.

"Alright kiddies, it's time to get your bros and brodettes down on the floor, cause this next song you'll like!"

The song began as everyone began to dance. However, Espio began to have a bit of trouble, as he mainly seemed to replicate the movements of the other students.

"Ya never danced like this, have ya, Espio?"

"N-No! Never actually!"

"Don't worry 'bout it! Just follow mah lead, and ya should be good!"

As Espio followed Vector's movements, he couldn't help but stare into his vermilion eyes. The chameleon felt mesmerized simply looking at them. It wasn't just his eyes however; the fuchsia reptile looked at the crocodile's hips move back and forth, his muscular body perfectly dancing to the tune of the song.

 _"Maybe… maybe I can confess to him here."_ Espio thought. _"But… no… perhaps it's not a good idea to do it with everyone here. Privately seems like a better idea."_

As Espio's thoughts flew through his head, Vector looked at him as they continued to dance.

 _"Damn… I was right; he was a good dancer…"_ The crocodilian quarterback thought. Unaware romantic tension between the two reptiles could be easily told as the song soon ended.

 _"Now it's time."_ Espio thought. He tugged on Vector's dress shirt to get his attention.

"Hm? Wassup, Espio?" he said.

"Erm… Vector? Could we talk privately? It's… rather important."

"Important? Well, alrighty. There should be an exit near here."

Locating it, the two reptiles exited the room through the door.

* * *

Vector and Espio found themselves outside of the school, near the entrance of the school's kitchen. It was reasonably cold, and the two reptiles began to rub their hands quickly for warmth.

"Alrighty, what's the issue, Espio? Make it quick will ya? I'm fuckin' freezin' mah ass off." Vector said. Espio sighed as he saw his breath in the air.

"Vector… you must promise me this: Please… what I am about to tell you could damage our friendship, so I beg you... don't be mad once I tell you this." Espio replied in a soft, yet serious tone. The large green reptile looked surprised.

"E-Espio? Is somethin' the matter?"

The foreign exchange student sighed, and soon began. "Vector… if I may be serious, until I met you, I've never been particularly close to any of the other students in training at my ninja academy. I preferred being alone, and as a result, I was rather introverted with other people besides my family, and my teachers. So, you can say I've never had many friends."

Espio then looked at Vector in the eye. "But then… I met you. Meeting you felt like I was entering a new world. You showed me your football world, all the food you've eat a lot that I've never had, all this modern technology I see people use and that I've used myself, meeting everyone you know, and such. But most importantly: you are possibly the closest I've ever been to any person. And I praise you for that."

Espio bowed as Vector softly smiled. However, the chameleon continued.

"Yet… lately since the end of December, I came to a realization. I… I began to feel something I've never felt before. You couldn't begin to imagine how confused I was, but now that I looked up what it was, I feel that my questions have been answered."

"What was this feelin'?" asked Vector.

"It was… a feeling of attachment. A feeling of caring for someone. I've never felt this way towards any female I knew before... but... I feel it towards you."

"W-Whaddya goin' on 'bout, Espio?"

"V-Vector… this may be hard to take in, and it still is hard for me to believe this as well. But... I think that in the month that I've been hiding this secret, it comes to an end."

Espio began to fidget as he looked worried, twiddling his thumbs together. "Vector… I…"

"Ya? What is it?"

And in one quick second, everything changed.

Espio quickly zoomed towards Vector and grabbed his chain. As Vector gawked in surprise, and before he could say anything, Espio pulled down on the chain, bringing the crocodile right near the chameleon's mouth and softly placed his lips on his friend's.

The crocodilian quarterback was completely taken back. Did Espio know of his feelings towards him? Or was it coincidence? Either way, a blush appeared on Vector's face appeared as he returned the kiss. He saw Espio's yellow horn cushion on his snout as the two reptiles continued to kiss.

The kiss was, however, ended after a few seconds. Letting go, Espio looked straight at Vector.

"I love you…"

Vector was surprised. "Wait, I-I never told ya how to say that! How did?"

"I looked it up. I learned "I love you" in English, just so I could confess to you."

"Fer… fer me?"

Vector could call himself as someone who wasn't emotional often, yet at this moment, the crocodile felt incredibly touched. He rubbed Espio's face and looked down at him.

"D'ya wanna 'nother kiss?" he asked.

"I'd like nothing more."

The two kissed once more on the lips. They didn't care about how cold things were outside was; they were perfectly warm being with each other. Espio hummed softly and let out a soft moan as Vector stopped kissing and looked at his crush.

"Did ya know? I wanna confess somethin' as well. I've been feelin' the same way too. I didn't wanna act upon it cause I just thought of us as bros. But when I asked Sally 'bout it, she told me college is the perfect place to test anythin'. So here I am: advice from an RA later and I find mahself attracted to mah roommate."

"You certainly have quite a story, Vector."

As the two chuckled, they heard loud rambling from behind them.

Freezing, Vector shielded Espio and hoped that no one saw him with Espio. Only a few seconds later, he heard someone in the group call out.

"Oh, my god. It that Vector?!" One person said. Everyone began to whoop and holler as the crocodile's face turned red.

"Yo, Vector! Who's the lucky girl? I beat it's Julie-Su!" Another person said. Feeling annoyed, Vector looked behind him and stared angrily at the group.

"Knock it off! Can't I get a bit of privacy?!" he yelled.

"Ha ha! Alright, just remember, you get 'em, tiger!"

The group left as Vector stopped shielding Espio.

"Heh, that sure was a close call. Watch, I guarantee ya; Julie-Su's gunna flip her lid when she finds out." said the crocodile. Vector softly chuckled before becoming serious.

"Anyway, we should probably head back inside. Not only is it cold as hell, but it's probably not safe fer us to do anythin', y'know, romantic if there's people outside."

"Agreed. Let us go now."

The two reptiles entered back into the building, shutting the door behind them.

* * *

As Vector and Espio made their way back to the table they were once sitting at, they were surprised to see Sonic there, who looked uneasy.

"Yo there, big blue. What's holdin' ya up?" asked Vector.

"Oh, it's only you two. Sorry, I had a bit of an incident about a few minutes ago." replied Sonic.

"And what was that?" asked Espio.

"Well, if you can believe it, this cheerleader from Crisis City U's, who has the hots for me real bad, got caught by someone here. Turns out? She came to this school just for a kiss from me."

"That's gotta suck. Who's this girl anyway?" said Vector.

"Her name's Amy. Amy Rose."

"Amy? Ain't she that one really hyper pink hedgehog?"

"Yup."

"Huh, and here I was thinkin' she was just all hyped up the night of the game against Crisis City."

"On that subject, did you know apparently, when Crisis City got disqualified cause of… y'know… THAT, Amy went almost berserk on those five who did it."

"Ha! Sucks to be them!"

"I would be sorry for them too!"

Sonic and Vector laughed as Espio simply sat, not saying a word. It wasn't until the blue hedgehog left that the chameleon reached in near Vector and requested if they could return to the dorm, as the room was now starting to get louder and louder with the music playing and people conversing.

"Sure, I'm startin' to get a bit bored as well. Plus I wanna change outta this damn shirt." replied the crocodile. The two reptiles soon left, no one noticing them.

* * *

When Vector and Espio returned to the dorm, the two sighed in unison.

"Man, today sure was somethin', huh?" Vector asked as he started to unbutton his dress shirt.

"Y-Yes… it was." replied Espio. He watched as the crocodile began to take off his dress shirt, but when Vector noticed the chameleon staring, Espio quickly shot his glance towards something other than Vector.

"It's ok, Espio. Ya can look. We're datin' now, am I right?"

Espio shot his look back to Vector. "D-Dating?"

"Yeah, ya didn't forget we confessed our feelin's? I'm yer… yer boyfriend now."

"My boyfriend?"

"Yeah…"

Espio looked down at his feet. "I… I like how that sounds."

Vector walked up to Espio and held his face in his hand. "I do too. Now, let's get some rest, shall we?"

He softly kissed Espio's lips and stared back at him once again. "G'night, I love ya." Vector then said, winking at him.

"As… As do I."

Vector grinned as he soon took off his shoes and pants, leaving him in just his boxers. He plopped himself on his bunk and pulled the covers over himself.

Espio walked over to the light switch and turned it off. He removed his kimono and got on his bunk. The chameleon was exceptionally pleased on how today turned out, and he knew that from here on out, his relationship with Vector would take an all new route.


	13. Chapter 13

**(AN: Sorry for the slight delay. I tried to get in contact with my proofreader for a few days until she responded today. I won't say much, but she has said that she will no longer proofread. I will say that she is a very good proofreader, and I have enjoyed her time proofreading these chapters.**

 **Now, back on the fic, I hope you all enjoyed the first kiss, I'm sure you all enjoyed it :P Don't worry, this chapter will focus on the start of Vector and Espio's relationship for now.**

 **Also, I reference yet another obscure game this chapter. It's easier to find this one, and if you guess it, you get an internet cookie :3**

 **Enjoy!)**

* * *

The next day, when Espio woke up, he found himself feeling new and fresh. Yawning, he looked up at the snoring crocodile and smiled.

"Vector's my lover now…. I remember that." he softly said to himself. The chameleon got up from his bunk and got on his tip toes, staring at the large, muscular sleeping quarterback.

He then could feel Vector shift himself in his bunk and saw his eyes open, looking at Espio and smiling softly.

"Well, looks like someone special's snuck into mah room." The crocodile sleepily joked. "What kind I do 'bout that?"

"Invite them in, treat them as a guest, and give them all the love. Would you like to see if that works?" replied Espio. Vector grinned as he reached in and softly kissed Espio's lips. The chameleon softly blushed and smiled at his crocodilian beloved.

"Well well, it seemed like it worked."

Vector got up from his bed and yawned loudly, stretching his arms.

"Good morning, Vector. Did you have a good rest?"

"Yeah yeah… granted I couldda woken up a bit later, but I'm fine with it."

Espio got off of his tip toes as Vector climbed off of his bunk, soon trying to find some clothes. He got changed and yawned yet again.

"Man… I dunno 'boutcha, but this is honestly one of the best mornin's I ever had."

"Why do you say that?"

"Heh, it's easy. I remembered yer mah boyfriend."

Espio was taken a bit aback. "Your… your boyfriend?"

"Yeah. I'll admit actually: I've dated plenty of girls back in high school, but this is mah first time datin' a guy. I think I'll like this experience, especially if yer mah boyfriend…"

"My… my boyfriend... You know… I like how that sounds. Like, you're more than just my roommate, and my friend anymore. You're… my boyfriend."

"Heh heh, yeah, ya get it!"

Espio chuckled. "Well, we should be heading off for breakfast, shouldn't we?"

Vector looked shocked, and then rubbed the back of his head. "Y-Yeah… sorry to tell ya, but mah meal card is like, completely empty. I called mah parents and they said they'll renew it, but until then, we gotta eat what we got here."

The crocodilian quarterback looked in the fridge and went through it. "Ya in the mood fer anythin'?"

"Mmm… nothing really. Anything should be fine." replied Espio.

"Alrighty, let's see… Fruit Gushers… a few honey buns… more energy drinks then there should be…. ooh, mini pancakes!"

Vector brought out the box of mini pancakes, throwing it in the air as he brought it out and then catching it. "We'll have these! Ya want a drink with this?"

"Milk seems good."

"Especially with pancakes. Too bad we dun have any milk…"

It was then that Espio remembered E-123 Omega, the vending machine. He could recall one of the drinks the machine sold being a bottle of milk.

"I wouldn't say that, come along, Vector, I will show you something I'm not sure you've seen yet."

* * *

"Of course I've seen it, Espio. I just didn't know this thing sold milk."

Putting the last quarter into the machine, Omega's voice began.

 _"Please select your drink."_

Espio swiped his finger to the right, soon finding the selection for milk. Tapping the milk, a green button which read "VEND" was visible. Espio pressed on vend as the second bottle of milk crashed down into the drink dispenser.

 _"Thank you. I hope to be of service again."_

"Man, I gotta say, this new Omega vendin' machine is probably one of the best investments this school ever made." said Vector. "I thought the old one was real outdated, so somethin' new sure is a change of pace."

 _"Much obliged for your praise. I hope to serve the students of this school with drinks."_ replied Omega.

"Yeah, and ya sure are doin' a fine ass job."

The two reptiles walked off, returning back to the dorm. Vector got out his phone and checked the time.

"Hm, thirty minutes before class starts."

Hearing the word class, Espio shot up.

"Oh, that reminds me, Vector! Uhh, I am doing a project in one of my classes, and I will need to visit my professor to finalize some things. Not only that, but I will be late returning back to the dorm later today. Just remember: it's me working on my project, so you won't need to worry."

"Alrighty, I understand." Vector replied, nodding. He watched the fuchsia reptile run off to the distance; heading to the office of one of his professors and leaving the large green reptile behind. Vector continued to walk back to the dorm, that was, until he heard a voice.

"Hey there, babe~..."

Vector groaned and rolled his eyes, immediately recognizing the voice. "What... could you possibly want, Julie-Su?"

"Just wanted to know how my favorite hottie crocodile quarterback is doing this morning."

"Ugh, ya ruined mah mood right now. Besides, don't call me "hottie", it doesn't flatter me."

"Oh, come on, you know you like it."

"I don't. I harbor no feelin's fer ya. How many times do I have to get it through yer skull?!"

"I dunnoooo, I think that's a li-"

Vector's snapping point soon broke. He turned around and stared at Julie-Su violently. "YOU KNOW WHAT?! No, stop. It ain't a lie. Just cause I did that on Halloween don't mean I like ya! I was drunk, okay?!"

"Geez, take a chill pill. Why are you getting so pissed over me flirting with you? Plenty of other girls around here have done that."

"Ya wanna know why I'm getting' pissed? Ya wanna know why?! Cause… cause… cause I'm already datin' someone!" he said, raising his voice.

Julie-Su looked both surprised and saddened. "W-Wait… who?"

Vector then froze, realizing he had said far too much."Nothin', don't worry 'bout it."

The crocodile quickly walked off, not daring to look back at the echidna cheerleader.

* * *

Heating up the mini pancakes in the microwave, Vector took out the small bottle of maple syrup that came with the box. He sighed; glad to be eating breakfast in less than a minute.

"Man… I sure snapped at Julie-Su. But I hope she now understands, I ain't repeatin' mahself again 'n again."

Hearing a knock on the door, Vector got up from the floor and headed to the door, opening it. He saw Espio standing in the doorway.

"Oh, hey there, Espio! C'mon in! Breakfast is almost ready." Vector said. The chameleon walked inside as the crocodile grabbed the plate that contained the mini pancakes out of the microwave.

"So tell me, Espio, how did yer thing with yer professor go?"

"I was able to clear things up with him, so remember: I'll be home much later today."

"Alrighty, I'll probably order… hm… burgers? Ya want them?"

"I do not mind."

Vector poured maple syrup on the pancakes as the two reptiles opened their bottles of milk.

"Well, dig in!" The crocodilian quarterback said.

* * *

 **LATER THAT NIGHT**

Vector sat on the floor, a half-eaten burger, an almost empty container of large fries, and a milkshake sitting by him. He pressed the buttons on the TV remote, flipping through the channels as he waited for Espio.

"Hm… bowlin'… crappy reality TV series… reruns…" he said, seeing nothing interesting. Turning to one of the channels that were showing movies, he stopped on one channel as soon as he saw the movie that was playing.

"Awh yeah, Siren!" he said. "I am so watchin' this."

About ten minutes after he began watching the movie, Vector heard a knocking on the door.

"The door's open!" he called out. The dorm door opened as Espio walked in. Vector turned his head and smiled at him.

"Hey there, Espio! Yer dinner's on the microwave. If ya want, ya can microwave it, since I imagine it's a bit cold."

"Oh… thank you, Vector."

"No prob!"

Espio grabbed his meal and sat down next to Vector, looking at the movie on TV.

"What is this, Vector?" The chameleon asked.

"Oh, this is one of mah favorite horror movies! I think you'll like it! It involves a haunted village in Northern Mobius!"

"Does it? Hm… I think I'll enjoy this…"

The two reptiles soon watched the movie together as they ate their dinner. Admittedly, Espio wasn't interested in the movie at first due to the gore and violence, but he soon found himself getting interested in the movie's story. It was about a village in Northern Mobius called Hanuda, and how the village falls into a curse by some extra-terrestrial monster where all the villagers turn into zombified versions of themselves, leaving ten survivors to fend for themselves, avoiding the zombie villagers known as the "Shibito", and learning of the secrets of the village and the cause of the curse.

At one point in the movie, where a little rabbit girl named Harumi was running away from her teacher, who was turned into a Shibito, Espio felt Vector's arm wrap around his side. The fuchsia reptile froze as he felt Vector give him a cuddle.

Feeling his cheeks heating up, Espio took the large green reptile's upper arm in his hand as he returned the cuddle, resting his head on Vector's side as he sighed.

Soon after, the movie ended as a heavy metal sounding song played while the credits rolled. Vector grabbed the remote as he began channel surfing again.

"So tell me, Espio, what did ya think of that movie?" Vector asked.

"It was quite good. I will admit, this movie portrayed Northern Mobius villages correctly. Not to mention..."

Espio then went on for the next few minutes, talking in depth about the movie and its connection to his homeland.

"…and it would be interesting if a village such as this exists back home. Of course, without those shibito…"

Vector looked quite amazed. "Wow, Espio, I didn't know ya liked the movie that much."

"Well, you may say that seeing something that reminds me of home sort of gives me that reaction. I apologize."

"Don't be sorry, I understand now. Still, ya miss home?"

"Admittedly, as much as I love this place, I realize I will have to return one day. I feel like I've made many memories and do not wish to let them go, especially you of all people."

Vector's heart melted. "D'aw… I'm touched…"

The crocodile then nuzzled Espio. "I understand ya have to go back soon, but fer now, ya can enjoy all yer time with." he said, kissing Espio's cheek. The foreign exchange student closed his eyes and let his new boyfriend continued to give him affection.

* * *

For the next few days to come, Vector and Espio enjoyed their moments of affection of love. Small kisses, nuzzles, and cuddles were often had between each other while in their dorm, but it soon left the dorm, as one morning during an Advanced English literature lecture, the two reptiles held hands under the large table.

Knuckles and Mighty eventually took notice of Vector's increased happiness, and questioned it one evening during dinner in the dining hall.

"You've been one cheery crocodile, Vector." said Knuckles. "Is there a reason? Got together with someone? No, don't tell me: You're dating Julie-Su now?"

"I wouldn't bet on it, Knuckles." Mighty said. "Julie-Su apparently cried her eyes out about a few days ago, and apparently, it's cause Vector was dating someone else."

"What?! It's one of Julie-Su's friends isn't it? Tiara? Honey? Awwh man, you sure broke her heart!"

"Nope, they're too bubbly fer mah tastes." replied Vector.

"Who is it? You gotta tell!"

Vector looked at the red echidna like he had said something wrong. "Yeah, no, not tellin'."

"Why not?"

Vector turned his attention to Espio, then back to Knuckles. "It's… rather personal."

"Awh, come on. Now I need to guess what it is, and that's gunna take forever. But I swear to god, if it's Rouge!-"

"Don't get yer pants all tight, Knux. I ain't datin' Rouge. She ain't mah type anyway."

The defensive tackler took a deep breath. "Whew! I was gunna say…"

Mighty's eyes then moved back and forth between Knuckles and Vector, changing the topic. "Anywayyyy, have any of your professors been telling you guys about finals?"

"Finals? Nope." replied Vector.

"Same here, but I'm pretty sure that's a good thing. I'd rather not stress out about those."

"Dang, looks like I have the only class that's like that. And it's just February! He's telling us about finals that are towards the end of May!"

"That's college fer ya, Mighty. Can't believe it took ya that long to realize that." Vector joked. Mighty stuck his tongue out at the crocodile.

"Still, if your professor's talking about that, then surprise surprise! The year's about to come to a close." Knuckles said. "I've gotta say, this year has been eventful."

"Why do you say that, Knuckles?" asked Espio.

"I think because of you, Espio. I'm not saying that's bad, as a matter of fact, a lot of the stuff that happened this year I sure wasn't expecting."

"I agree. You've made this year interesting." replied the armadillo. Espio gave a small smile in response.

"W-Well… thank you… You two have been good friends to me this year, much like how Vector is… Do you understand?"

"Yeah, of course we do." The red echidna said, nodding. Vector rubbed his tummy and sighed.

"Welp, I'm full. I still gotta do some homework, so I need to head back to mah dorm." Vector said.

"Oh, I think I have to filling a study guide in! Thank you for reminding me!" Espio replied. The two reptiles got up from their seats and threw away their trash.

"We'll see you two soon!"

As Vector and Espio headed out of the dining hall, Knuckles and Mighty looked at each other.

"You know, Mighty… do you think there's something going on between Vector and Espio? Y'know, kinda like-"

"Shh! Don't mention it here!"

"Mighty, you know no one gives a damn in college."

"Y-Yeah… but still… it feels awkward to talk about that in public."

"Alright, I'll refrain from talking about it. But still, do you think those two are doing something behind closed doors?"

"Hm… you know… I can see it. I mean, they're so close, and they're always together… I guess we won't find out soon."


	14. Chapter 14

**(AN: Well morning there! Somehow, I'm surprised I got this chapter up, mainly due to the fact I'm actually in Georgia for the weekend to celebrate my mom's birthday, and I somehow convinced her to bring my laptop.**

 **Anywayyy...**

 **This chapter... eh... I'll be honest; I did not have any ideas planned for this point in the story, mainly cause they couldn't come to mind. Honestly, besides one thing here: I think I half-assed this chapter. Sooo yeah, as you can tell, this probably isn't my favorite chapter.**

 **Still, I hope you guys find it enjoyable.)**

 **NOTE: This chapter mmmmmmmmmmight reach risque territory during the middle part. Just lettin' ya know :P**

* * *

With the end of February, March soon arrived. Temperatures became warmer, the snow stopped, and sunshine and rain took up most of the day. Without the cold weather, it was safe to say Vector and Espio were now much happier.

Deciding it was now a perfect time to be outside, Vector and Espio decided to take an afternoon walk around campus.

"Thanks fer bringin' me along, Espio." Vector said, holding his hands behind his back. "I needed a break from all that schoolwork."

"Don't you still have homework assignments to do, Vector?" Espio questioned. The crocodilian quarterback violently turned his head to the chameleon's direction.

"S-SHUT UP. I'M TRYIN' TO FORGET I GOT THAT." he yelled, twiddling his thumbs

"Tch tch, trying to neglect your responsibilities. That certainly isn't good, Vector."

Vector looked at Espio and stuck his tongue at him. The chameleon nudged him slightly in response.

As the two continued to walk, they passed by the Science Technology center, then walked passed the football field.

"Hey… do you remember when I first starting coming to your football games?" Espio commented.

"Yeah. Those times feel so long ago. Y'know, when we were just friends." replied Vector, smiling. He looked around for a few seconds, and as soon as he saw that the coast was clear, he wrapped his arm around the foreign exchange student and gave him a cuddle.

"It feels so long ago…"

Espio smiled as he rested against Vector. After sometime, the two parted from their moment of affection as they continued to walk.

"Hey, Espio… I wanted to ask. Whaddya plan to do in the future?" asked Vector a few minutes later.

"What do I… plan to do?" replied Espio.

"Yeah, whaddya want as an occupation? Whaddya wanna do with yer life when yer older?"

"Those are rather deep and thought provoking questions, aren't they?"

"Yeah, but still, ya do have some idea, dontcha?"

Espio looked forward. "Well, to be honest, I'm not sure what I want for my future. I mean, I can see myself being the master of my dojo once my mother becomes too old, yet… being here has changed what I wish from life."

Vector rubbed his chin. "Whoa… that's real deep. Like, even more deep then whacha thought my question was like. As fer me, well, ya already know. Continue playin' football until I get a degree, which allows me to start playin' fer the major league teams. If that fails though, I gotta backup: bein' a detective."

'Sounds like you have your life goals set up straight, Vector."

"Heh heh, well, mah parents were actually buggin' me 'bout careers startin' from mah junior year of high school. I found that I enjoyed football and the field of law, so naturally, I went with those."

"Are you happy with what you're studying?"

"Of course. I mean, it seems like I like to complain a lot 'bout homework, and tests 'n stuff like that. But the truth is: I understand that I gotta do these, mah future depends on it."

"That's good. You also have a lot of motivation, and not only that, you seem to lead an active social life."

"Heh heh, well, yer just kinda like that when yer a football player."

And soon enough, after twenty minutes, the two reptiles were soon done with their walk, heading back to the school.

* * *

 **LATER THAT NIGHT**

Vector tapped a pencil on his chin as he sat at the desk, doing an essay for one of his homework assignments. The crocodile shook his leg as he read over his essay, unsure about what to write next.

"Damn… I got no creative juices flowin'…" Vector complained. Espio looked up from his notebook and walked over to his boyfriend.

"Exercise." he said.

"Wha?"

"Exercise. You will have more energy to think about your essay. How about if I join you?"

Vector continued to look at Espio confoundedly. "Well… if ya say so…"

The large green reptile got up from his chair and looked down at Espio. "Whadda we do?"

"I say push-ups. I find that doing a bit of those lets me concentrate more."

"Alrighty, I'm good at those."

Vector stretched as he got onto the floor, Espio getting right beside him and doing the exact same thing. The two reptiles got on their hands and feet and began their push-ups.

As Espio continued his push-ups, he looked over to his side and saw Vector doing them rather perfectly.

 _"His athletic skills are more than I bargained for it seems."_ thought Espio. _"Ha… I have a strong and tough boyfriend…"_

After some time, Espio soon began to feel his hands become wobbly.

"W-Wait! N-No!"

The chameleon fell to the ground, prompting Vector to stop doing his push-ups, get up from the floor, and pick Espio right back up on his feet.

"Ya alright, Espio?" asked Vector as he lifted him up.

"Y-Yes… I am. Thank you, Vector."

The crocodilian quarterback nodded as he grinned. "Good to hear! Gotta say… I… I actually feel motivated now. That worked quite well actually. How'd ya know somethin' like that? I assume in yer Ninja Academy?"

"Yes. There was once an incident where a student complained that he wasn't motivated enough, and our master forced everyone to start doing push-ups. "Work up that energy! Get yourself motivated! Having the energy to fight and train shall get you to the path to becoming a ninja!" That's what he barked at all of us. Any student who was having a hard time found themselves having to do it again, this time with added weight on their back."

"Geez, sounds brutal. Did ya have to do that?"

"No, I was able to keep doing mine. However, looking back at it, it would be nice; mainly perhaps I could have a back as muscular as yours."

Espio held his hand up to his mouth, chuckling. Vector snorted and looked at Espio.

"Yeah, sure ya would. When ya get babies like… THESE!"

Vector began to flex his biceps, Espio seeing the muscle in the crocodile's arms bulge.

"Ya can talk to me, alrighty?"

Espio rolled his eyes playfully and put his arms around him.

"Whatever you say, Vector."

The crocodile sat back down in his chair and continued on with his essay.

* * *

Half an hour later, Vector stretched back in his chair and threw his pencil down at the desk.

"Yup, finally done! It's 'bout time." he said.

"Congratulations. I was hoping you could get it done after our little exercise." Espio commented, giving a small clap in response.

"Phew, I dunno 'boutcha, but I need a shower. I haven't showered at all today."

"Neither have I. Shall we go together?"

"Sure, I dun see why not."

The two reptiles got up from where they were sitting and grabbed a pair of fresh clothes and towels, plus the duffle bag which contained their shampoos and soaps, and left the dorm.

As they walked to the showers, Vector rubbed the back of his head and looked up at the ceiling.

"Erm… Espio? I kinda wanna ask ya somethin'… now, don't think I'm weird or anythin', cause remember: we're datin'."

"What's the issue?"

"Well… erm… would ya… would ya wanna shower with me?"

Vector's face grew red, which made Espio chuckle a bit.

"No worries, Vector. If you want that, I accept your request."

* * *

 _"This certainly was something I never expected to happen this year."_

Vector and Espio stood side-by-side in the shower, warm water falling onto the two reptiles. Admittedly, the chameleon felt self-conscious at first with his skinnier, runner's build frame compared to Vector's heavily built, obvious football player body. However, the crocodile coaxed and told him that even with his size and body difference, he still loved him.

And so, here he was, cramped up in a shower with Vector. Even with the tight space of the shower, something about Vector being there didn't trigger his claustrophobia.

"Hey, Espio, can ya pass mah shampoo bottle?"

Seeing it on the floor, Espio moved his hand near the crocodilian quarterback's tail and picked it up. As he passed it to Vector, the fuchsia reptile took this time to examine his boyfriend's body. He had never been this close to the crocodile, and seeing him up close made him realize: _"Why haven't I done this before?"_

He admired Vector's veiny forearms, then down to his chest, which was so muscular; it looked like he was puffing it out. Moving his view lower, he stared down the large green reptile's brawny and athletic back, before looking right at his chiseled-

 _"Oh no… am I about to really stare at that in the shower no less?!"_ Espio thought, shaking his head. Just as he did, Vector looked behind him and grinned at the foreign exchange student.

"Heh, I know yer checkin' out mah ass, Espio. Don't try to hide it... Hey, don't worry, I find it a bit flatterin' to tell ya the truth." The crocodile commented. Espio could swear he was becoming redder by the second.

 _"Could he not be any more attractive?"_

Soon after, Vector washed himself off as Espio waited for him to finish, as he had already washed himself completely. A few minutes later however, he felt himself being picked up as Vector held him right against the wall.

"Well, it looks like it's just me and ya in this shower." Vector said, putting his hand right next to Espio and looked straight into his lemon yellow eyes.

"It seems so. What's your plan then?" replied Espio.

"Heh, ya know what it is."

Espio saw Vector grinned and stared back into his eyes. Seeing his boyfriend, with water still dripping down his body, and without headphones on, the chameleon's body began to feel warm as the two reptiles began to softly kiss. Vector held Espio tightly as scaly lips connected passionately.

The chameleon could see a twinkle in Vector's eye, and could feel the crocodile's hand move slowly down.

But before anything could happen however, the door to the showers open, and a pair of footsteps were heard.

"Dang, someone's already in here. Oh well, that's not an issue."

Vector and Espio froze in place and felt their eyes widen.

"Shit! Fuck! I didn't think someone would come in!" Vector hissed under his breath.

"In response to those two cuss words you said, I wholeheartedly agree." Espio whispered. "How are going to get past him without realizing we're together?"

"Hm… good thing Imma good problem solver. Alrighty… here's the plan…"

* * *

Vector grabbed the towel that was hanging on the shower rack as he covered himself up, getting out of the shower and quickly shutting the curtains.

"Oh hey there, Vector." The fox in question said upon seeing the crocodile. He stepped into the shower and shut his shower curtains as the crocodile watched. He then walked to where his duffle bag was and headed off to the changing room. As he did however, the sound of him locking the door to it was Espio's queue to get out of the stall.

The chameleon got out of the shower stall and grabbed his towel. He sneaked to where his duffle bag was, but stopped when he heard a voice.

"Wait, didn't Vector already come out? Someone else is here?"

Espio froze as he almost ran to his duffle bag. Grabbing it, he heard the fox student pull back his curtains.

"Who's there?" he asked. The chameleon gritted his teeth as he got into one of the toilet stalls. He locked it as quietly as he could and stood on top of the toilet seat. Espio covered his mouth with his hand; the only noise he could hear was the sound of his soft breathing. The chameleon then heard footsteps walk near the stalls. His breath became sharper and even quieter as he tightened his grip over his mouth.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" The fox asked.

Espio could feel his knees become wobbly in anxiety as he waited for the fox to go away.

"Hm… guess no one's here. Probably left or something." he said a minute later. The fox walked away as Espio watched him from under the stall. Seeing him get back in the shower, Espio quietly opened his duffle bag and took out his fresh clothes. Placing them on, he decided to not put on his geta shoes, knowing that they would attract the attention of the fox.

Sliding from under the stall, Espio sneaked to the door and opened it as quietly as possible, sneaking out from the shower.

* * *

Heading off to one of the bathrooms, Espio sighed as he got into a stall. He placed his geta shoes on and walked out of the bathroom. He saw Vector come out of the shower.

"Ya alright, Espio? Ya seem like ya got chased by someone." he said.

"I almost got caught by that fox! Was that apart of the plan?!" Espio growled, pointing his finger at his boyfriend.

"Whoa whoa, hold up. It wasn't. How was I supposed to know that was gunna happen?"

Espio sighed, rubbing his face. "Don't worry; it's not your fault. As you said; you didn't plan for it to happen."

Vector sadly looked down at Espio, bringing him into for a hug. "Look, I'm sorry for gettin' ya stressed about that situation… Ya forgive me, right?"

"Of course. I understand."

Espio nodded as Vector continued to hug. The two reptiles soon let go of their hug a few seconds later.

"So, whaddya wanna do? We finished our homework, did our daily chores-"

"Not particularly. We still haven't thrown away the trash, nor have we vacuumed the floor."

"Oh yeah, we should do that."

"Hey, I'll race you back to the dorm. Loser has to do all the chores!"

Espio ran off as Vector looked shocked.

"E-E-Espio! WAIT!" The crocodile yelled, running after him.


	15. Chapter 15

**(AN: New chapter a day later? Yup, I'm ahead of schedule again! I'm glad ^^ And guess what, more fluff! Ayyyyyy~**

 **Now, I should mention this right now: there is only two chapters left. Yeah, I'm being serious. Only two chapters left. It sure has been quite the journey huh? It feels so long since I posted the first chapter, and that was only two months ago!**

 **For those who have reviewed, favorited, and followed so far, thank you!**

 **And for closing; I caved in. I added one of the kids in this chapter. Who is it? Well you'll have to see :P)**

* * *

A month had passed, and April had brung nothing new to the two reptiles. Other than their relationship growing stronger, not a thing of interest happened that month.

It wasn't until mid-May did things soon start to happen. With exams in less than two weeks, the two reptiles constantly studied their notes for their classes over and over again. During one of these study sessions, Espio realized that tomorrow was his birthday, and yet he hadn't told Vector.

 _"He would freak out if I told him now."_ Espio thought. If there was one thing that the chameleon hated the most, it was seeing the crocodile sad.

 _"I'll tell him tomorrow."_

* * *

 **THE NEXT DAY**

Vector sat in a chair, legs on the desk as he listened to tunes on his MP3 player. Flipping through one of his textbooks, he had all his attention on it, and didn't notice the door open behind him.

 _"Tadaima!"_ Espio said in his native tongue as he entered inside, placing his bag by the door. Vector was caught off guard and yelped, almost dropping his book.

"Ya scared the shit outta me, Espio!" Vector breathed, placing his hand on his chest. Espio came right behind and wrapped his arms around the large green reptile's neck.

"Heh, I wasn't aware I did. Sorry about that."

Vector sighed. "Don't worry, yer fne, yer fine." He then grabbed his book and began to read yet again. "Man… today is such a borin' day… and it's Saturday too!"

Espio looked at the calendar (which read May 16th), and remembered what today was: it was his birthday, meaning he was now twenty years old.

"So… er… Vector? I… I want to tell you something. Promise you won't flip out?" The chameleon asked.

"Why would I flip out? I'm yer boyfriend, Espio! Now tell me, what's the thing?"

"Well… umm… today… today is my birthday."

Vector then turned his head to Espio violently. "WHAT?!"

"You promised." Espio quickly said.

"Awh man… ya serious? I didn't know… Great… now I feel like shit cause I didn't know. Not to mention, I didn't get ya anythin'. And I'm supposed to be yer boyfriend."

"No no no, don't worry, it's fine, Vector."

It was then that Vector gave Espio the "puppy-dog" eyes, which caused Espio to give in.

"Alright, you can do something for my birthday…"

"Alrighty! Now, Espio… since it's Saturday, how 'bout we don't stay in here and study our asses off, and instead, take a bit of a field trip of the city?"

Vector grabbed his keys from one of his dirty pair of pants and spun it around in place with his finger.

"W-What?" Espio questioned.

"A drive around the city! After all, I can also getcha a gift while we're out."

"Oh… I don't know Vector…"

"Hey, don't worry. We ain't gunna get in trouble if we leave campus. People do it all the time anyway. C'mon, let's get ourselves ready. Get yer best and freshest pair of clothes, cause we're gunna shower first."

* * *

After putting on their deodorant, the two reptiles made their way out of the dorm and headed to the garage containing the cars of all the students who had a parking pass. After looking for Vector's automobile for a few minutes, the two soon found it. A normal sized red car sat as Vector walked up to it.

"Damn, I haven't used this in a while. Hopefully nothin's gone wrong since then." Vector said. He unlocked the car and got into the driver's seat. Espio eyed the car for some time before getting into the passenger's side. As he closed the door, Espio bit his lip as he looked around; remembering his claustrophobia when it came to riding a car.

It was then that Vector put his hand softly on Espio's shoulder.

"Hey… don't worry, Espio. I'm here, okay? Ya got nothin' to worry 'bout."

Espio nodded as he exhaled, taking a deep breath. Vector put the car key into the ignition switch and turned it to the right, starting the car. The crocodile drove out of the garage and headed out of the parking area, and out of Mobius U.

"Here, I'll first take ya out to get cha yer gift. Whaddya want, Espio?"

"W-Well… I don't think that's necessary…"

"C'mon, Espio…"

"Oh… alright… Um… I have been in some dire need of ninja stars. I forgot to bring mine from home."

"Ninja stars? No problem, a pawn shop should sell 'em."

Getting onto the road, Vector drove to a pawn shop right near Mobius U. He parked the car into a parking space and got out of it, Espio following behind him. The two reptiles entered the pawn shop as the store's owner looked at Vector and Espio.

"Ya can look at whatever ya want." said Vector as he walked over to the glass case containing all the weapons.

Espio walked over to a shelf containing dozens upon dozens of TV's. He then saw various VCR's and DVD players. Never seeing such a thing, Espio grabbed one of them to get a closer look. As he did, the chameleon underestimated how heavy the machine was, and almost dropped it, had it not been for catching it at the last moment. Espio looked up to see an employee staring at him. The chameleon grinned at him guiltily as the employee shook his head, walking off.

Espio put back the machine and placed it back where he found it. He continued to browse the pawn shop, finding a shelf of many movies, video games, etc.

As he looked through the collection, Vector tapped his shoulder.

"Hey, Espio. I got yer thing. Let's head outta here."

The two reptiles left the pawn shop soon after.

* * *

As Vector and Espio got into the car, Vector handed Espio a box.

"It's really dumb of me, but hey, happy birthday, gorgeous. Go ahead, open it."

Espio opened the box and almost dropped the box upon seeing what was in it.

"Is this…a fourth century shuriken?!" Espio almost yelled.

"Yup. Guy sellin' it didn't know what it was, so I got it real cheap."

"I… I've never seen one of these up close… the elder of my village has only one… I… I don't know what to say, Vector… this is far too kind for a gift…"

Vector laid his head on the steering wheel, smiling at his boyfriend. Espio looked up at Vector, then back at the shuriken.

"I… I truly don't know what to say…"

It was then that the chameleon moved towards the crocodile and hugged him right there.

"Thank you so much…" he said softly. Vector caressed Espio's arm, shutting his eyes.

"Hey, no problem. Happy birthday, precious…"

* * *

As there was still a day ahead of the two reptiles, Vector drove to a large shopping mall. Parking his car, he looked at Espio.

"So tell me, ya never heard of a shoppin' mall?"

The fuchsia reptile shook his head.

"Well, trust me when I say; yer gunna be amazed. C'mon."

The large green reptile exited the car as Espio did the same. Vector locked the car as he and Espio walked to the mall. As they entered inside, Vector looked down at Espio, who gasped at the sight of the shopping mall.

"Surprised aren't ya? Trust me; it's the biggest mall in this city. Let's have a bit of a mall date, shall we?"

As Espio walked next to Vector, it felt like he needed over hundreds of eyes to see everything in the mall. Right now, the two reptiles were passing by a giant food court with over twenty kinds of restaurants. The smell of food hitting the two reptiles as they did.

"Don't tell me, Vector, you're hungry." teased the chameleon.

"Hey, I may be a football player with a huge stomach, but surprisingly? I'm not." Vector replied. Espio folded his arms together, obviously defeated.

"So tell me, where do we head to?"

"Don't make me choose, Vector. There's far too much stuff for us to do."

It was then that Espio saw a pair of recliner chairs and walked over to it.

"What is this?" he asked, pointing at it.

"Oh, it's a massage chair. Hmm… one mobobuck for three minutes." Vector explained, looking at the price for use of the chair. "Sure, why not? Let's do this."

The two reptiles sat down on the chair as Vector placed two bills into the mobobuck slot. The recliner chair began to vibrate, giving Vector and Espio a massage.

"Ahh~… this is nnnnice…" moaned Vector, shutting his eyes. Espio relaxed and didn't want the massing chair to stop. However, it soon ended a few minutes later, much to the chameleon's disappointment.

"Can we please do that again, Vector?" Espio asked.

"Iiiiii dunno, Espio… I dun wanna waste mah money today."

"Please?"

Espio held his hands and stared at Vector. Knowing he couldn't say no, Vector sighed.

"Alrighty, get on the chair."

Espio smiled and sat back down onto the massaging chair. Vector placed yet another mobobuck into the bill slot as the foreign exchange student had another massage for the day.

"They don't have anything like THIS back home…" he commented.

"Duh, ya ain't got any of this fancy technology there." Vector replied.

As he waited for the chameleon's massage to be over, the crocodile couldn't help but notice some of the people walking through the mall were staring at Espio, most likely due to the clothes he had on. It made Vector mildly annoyed, as he found the weird looks people were giving Espio to be somewhat… offensive to an extent.

Soon enough, Espio's massage was done. He got up from the chair and stretched his muscles.

"Okay, I think I'm good enough." he said.

"Alrighty, c'mon."

* * *

As the two reptiles walked off to the far off of the mall, they saw a small bee buzzing around, looking worried.

"Mom? Dad?" he called out. It was evident in his voice that he could cry in any second.

"Vector? There's a lost child over there." Espio pointed out. Vector looked at the bee and got an idea.

"Really? How 'bout we help him find his parents? If there's one thing I learned about readin' up 'bout detectives, it's that ya should always help people in need." The crocodilian quarterback replied. Both reptiles walked up to the bee and looked down at him.

"Hey kid, are ya alright? What's the issue?" Vector asked.

"I… I lost my mom and dad! And I can't find them!" replied the small bee.

"Shall we help you find your parents?" asked Espio.

"W-Will… will you?"

"Sure we can! I always stride in doin' the right thing, so ya can bet on me bein' trustworthy!"

Vector gave a thumbs up and a smile as the bee looked up at the reptile. "O-Okay…" he replied.

"Where were you last with your parents?"

"I… I think I was at the play area… but I wandered off to the candy store over there." The child said, pointing to said store in the distance.

"Okay, then it shouldn't be hard tryin' to find 'em. C'mon kid, let's go."

As Vector and Espio walked with the child, they couldn't help but hear a woman by them go: "Aww, a gay couple and their adopted child! How adorable!"

When Vector heard that, he felt a blush on his face. _"Well this is awkward as hell..."_ he thought.

Did he really look like that right now with Espio and the small bee? He looked at the child again, who sniffed as he buzzed along with the two reptiles.

"Say kid, ya never did tell us yer name. What is it?" Vector asked.

"My… my name?" The bee sniffed again. "It's… Charmy…"

"Charmy? That's a cool name."

"Agreed. That is a very interesting name." said Espio.

"Do you two think so?" Charmy replied.

"Yeah, really."

"T-Thank you!"

* * *

After a few minutes of walking all over the place, the two reptiles spotted an older male and female bee, who looked worried.

"Charmy? Charmy, where are you?" The woman, most likely Charmy's mother, called out. Espio walked up to the woman and tapped her shoulder.

"Excuse me, ma'am, I think we found your son right here." The chameleon said, pointing his finger to Charmy.

"Mommy! Daddy!" The bee said, hugging his mother.

"Charmy! And here we thought you truly were lost!" Charmy's father said, then turning his attention to Vector and Espio. "Thank you two so much for finding my son, you didn't have to do this."

"Heh, no prob! I'm doin' it fer the greater good after all!" Vector exclaimed, giving the adult bee a thumbs up. He then saw Charmy's dad dig into his pocket and pull out a few bills, passing it to the two.

"Please, take it. It's the most we can do for helping us."

"O-Oh… sir, this is far too kind. We don't need this…" Espio responded, shaking his head.

"No no, I insist."

"Please sir, you don't have to do this."

"It's fine, don't worry. I'd prefer if you take the money. It makes me feel better."

Espio sighed, realizing he had been defeated. It was then that Vector walked up and accepted the money.

"Thank ya, kind sir! We're glad to help ya!" said the crocodile.

"Now, Charmy, tell the kind sirs who helped you "thank you"." Charmy's mother said.

"Thank you Mr… um… what are your names?" asked Charmy.

"I'm Vector!" responded the large green reptile, winking and giving a peace sign. Espio then bowed.

"And I am Espio. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Thank you Mr. Vector and Espio!" said the bee. The family of bee's waved as the two reptiles walked off.

* * *

As Vector counted the money excitedly, he looked at Espio strangely.

"So tell me, Espio. Why did ya deny the money that guy wanted to give us? That seems a bit strange doncha think? It's always nice to get something as a reward for a job well done." said Vector.

"Well, in my culture, whenever someone offers something, one is supposed to deny until they give in. It could be a gift, food, or about anything." responded Espio.

"Really? Damn, I'll be real; I think I learned more 'bout Northern Mobius culture from ya then any history class ever couldda. But wow, somethin' like that? That's a bit strange, doncha think?"

"It may be for you, but this is what I'm used to."

"Well, ya gotta point there. I mean, I'm pretty sure there's still somethin's about this city and college life ya still don't understand, so maybe I shouldn't complain."

Looking back at the money Charmy's father gave the two reptiles; Vector looked around at the various stores at the mall.

"So tell me, where d'ya wanna hit up first?"

* * *

 **AND A FEW HOURS LATER…**

When the sun started to set on Mobius, Vector and Espio held many bags in their hands.

"Phew, sure was a day, wasn't it?" The crocodilian quarterback asked the foreign student.

"It was. It was also a surprise to see Manic there as well." replied Espio. True to his word, the two reptiles met Manic at the mall, who said he was with Sonia. While his twin sister was out shopping with clothes with her friends, Manic accompanied Vector and Espio while they shopped.

"Did ya see those cuffs he bought? The school sure is gunna get quite a shock once they see that, huh?" Vector joked, proceeding to laugh.

"I bet they well." Espio responded. He then looked up at the orange sky. "Hm, it's getting late. Shall we go back to the school?"

"Sure I guess. Though, there is one thing I'd like to do before we call it quits fer today."

"What's that?"

"It's near the school. C'mon."

Vector and Espio got into the car and drove away from the mall and back to Mobius U.

* * *

"I can't believe I've never found a location like this before."

"Peaceful huh? I found this a while back and found it to be real calmin'. I've been meanin' to come with ya, but I guess we never had the time. What with studyin' fer finals and all."

Vector and Espio sat by a small pond near Mobius U. With the sounds of running water and the clear view of the sunset, the two reptiles basked in the sun as they sat close by each other.

"The view's great, huh, Espio?" asked Vector.

"It is. This reminds me of home. There was an outside room in our dojo that was dedicated to meditation, and it gave a perfect view of the sky. I remember star gazing with my little sister a few times as well."

"Awh man, star gazin'! There's somethin' I haven't done since I was a kid! Hey, how 'bout we wait 'till nighttime so we can see the stars?"

And it was decided; the two reptiles would stay until night to see the stars. But for now, it was just staring at the sun setting.

"Man… another day comes to a close, another day closer to final exams, and another day closer to the end of the semester…" Vector said. "Makes me kinda sad to be real…"

"Why so?" asked Espio.

"Well, it means I'm getting' older, but… mainly, well… yer leavin'."

It was then that Espio connected his hand with Vector's. "I know it's going to be painful when I leave, but I want to let you know that even when I go… I'll always be…"

And then, Espio placed his hand on Vector's chest, right above his heart.

"…right here…"

Vector smiled as he kissed Espio right then and there. The two reptiles kissed for some time before lying down on the grass. The sun was now completely set as the night sky kicked in. Vector brought in Espio to cuddle him as the two looked at the stars in the sky.

"Hey look, I think I see the zodiac signs in the sky!" Vector said, pointing at the stars in the sky.

"Are you sure? They don't look like it." replied Espio.

"It does to me. Hey, Imma a Taurus. Whadda 'bout cha?"

"I… I'm not too sure what my sign is."

"Well, today is yer birthday, so if I remember correctly, yer a Leo! Taurus and Leo… that seems like a good match to me, doesn't it?"

"It… does…"

As the two reptiles continued to watch the stars, Vector rolled his head over to watch Espio. He watched his enticing lemon yellow eyes looking up at the night sky. It was then that the chameleon pointed up at the sky.

"Vector! I saw a shooting star!" he exclaimed.

"Did ya now? I missed it. Lemme see if there's anymore." Vector replied.

After some time, Vector complained only one or two times about no shooting stars until one finally appeared.

"There it is! Go on, Espio. Make a wish. Yer the birthday boy after all."

Espio closed his eyes as the shooting star passed by.

"So tell me, whaddya wish fer?" asked Vector once the fuchsia reptile opened his eyes. Espio looked at Vector and snuggled closer to him.

"Nothing. You're my wish…"

As Espio smiled, Vector beamed at the sweet comment. Caressing Espio's face, the two closed their eyes for a brief moment before quickly waking up.

"We're 'boutta fall asleep, aren't we?" asked the large green reptile.

"We are. Let's go inside and sleep on an actual bed."

"Yup yup, although we will do one last thing before we call it quits for the night."

* * *

"I know, I know, it's probably the cheapest party ever, but hey, I got ya somethin'. It's the thought that matters, right?"

Espio nodded as he looked at what was in front of him; a small chocolate cake bought from a snack machine complete with Vector's phone, where an app for a "virtual candle" was open.

"Now, shall I begin?" asked the crocodile.

"If you may." replied Espio.

Vector cleared his throat. "I know this might sound bad, but hey, I'm tryin'. Now…"

 _"Happy birthday to ya._

 _Happy birthday to ya._

 _Happy birthday, dear, Espio._

 _Happy birthday to ya!"_

Vector grinned and clapped as he told the foreign exchange student to blow. As Espio blew onto the crocodile's phone, the fire on the app went out to mimic that of an actual candle.

"Dig in!" exclaimed Vector. Espio picked up a pair of chopsticks he got from the school's kitchen and began to cut up the cake, putting piece by piece into his mouth. He smiled as he tasted the sweet flavor.

"This is delicious!" Espio said, putting another piece of chocolate cake into his mouth. "Thank you for this."

The crocodilian quarterback nodded. "Yer welcome! As I said; it's yer day today."

* * *

Soon after, Espio finished his cake and threw away his trash. As it was soon getting close to night time, the two reptiles thought it was best to get to bed.

Before Vector turned off the lights, he kissed Espio's on the lips, and then nuzzled him softly.

"Love ya, Espio. Happy birthday…" he said.

"Thank you… I love you too, Vector." Espio replied. The two reptiles shut off the lights and got in bed, knowing a new day of studying for finals lay ahead of them.


	16. Chapter 16

**(AN: Ello everybody! Well, it's here: the second to last chapter of Transfer, and THE longest chapter of this fic so far. I seriously can't believe we're already at the end, with only one more chapter left to write.**

 **First, I wanna say, THANK YOU ALL FOR 1,500 VIEWS**

 **...**

 **okay, so maybe that outage happened with the view count last month, but if i use inferring skills, i believe this fic has around the 1,500-600 mark. so thank you all for reading, and enjoying Transfer!**

 **Anyway...**

 **This IMO was possibly one of my favorite chapters to write, and I've been waiting a while to write a certain scene. What scene? Well, perhaps this warning may give you a hint...**

 **I an going to warn right now that the beginning-middlish portion is going to reach risque territory, and it's probably the most mature thing I've written for this fic (even after the thing in Chapter 6). So word of warning before you advance foward.**

 **And how could I forget? This chapter is also going to have a shocker for a majority of you. What is it? Can't tell, but I think I'll enjoy your reactions XD.**

 **And for the last order of business, at the end of this chapter, I'm going to have someone sing. Now I won't say what, but I'll give you a hint: It's a song from Evangelion 2.22 ;)**

 **That's pretty much it, I'll shut up now, and let you enjoy the second to last chapter of Transfer.)**

* * *

It was now nearing towards the end of May.

The day of final exams drew even closer. Vector and Espio had to study even harder than before, spending all their free time studying in their dorm.

It was late night, and there were only two days before their final exams. Vector and Espio did what they always did nowadays: continue studying. Espio sat on Vector's bunk, flipping page by page and reviewing everything he wrote down. A bottle of green tea sat by him as he picked it up and sipped it, going back to his notes. The chameleon found himself doing rather well, and kept his composure.

On the other hand however, the same couldn't have been said about Vector.

Multiple cans of energy drinks surrounding the desk, the repeated sounds of pages flipping, and the crocodile's foot tapping on the floor showed clearly that Vector was incredibly stressed. His eyes were widened greatly as sweat fell down his forehead. The large green reptile shifted in his seat constantly and ran his hand through his forehead multiple times as his breathing sharpened

It soon became too much for the crocodile, as a few minutes later, he slammed his pencil onto the desk and put his hands into his face, rubbing down it.

"V-Vector?" Espio asked, scaring from the crocodile's snapping point."Are… are you okay?"

"As a matter of fact, Espio? Nah, nah I ain't! All this studyin' is just gettin' to me; I just know I'm gunna fail exams… FUCK! I feel like I haven't learned anythin' this year… and when I fail, I should just say goodbye to mah future in football, and mah chances of me graduatin' in anythin'. Face it, I'm gunna fuckin' bomb these exams…"

Vector sighed deeply as his back hurt intensely, he hissed from the pain as he breathed in and out.

"Sorry, Espio… I didn't mean to burst out like that…"

And then suddenly, he felt hands rubbing his shoulders. The crocodile looked up and saw Espio rubbing his back.

"Do you remember what I told you when I first began to speak English? It's never good to be stressed." he said softly. "You should perhaps take a break. The stress is greatly getting to you."

Vector slumped on the desk, putting his head on his arms. He exhaled as Espio did his work.

"W-Wow, Espio… this feels... so amazin'… I really needed this."

"You're welcome. You know I don't wish to see you so stressed."

Vector moaned as he felt his backache getting better. Flexing his back, he felt it pop and sighed in relief.

"There we go…" he said softly. The crocodilian quarterback's tail began to softly wag as a few minutes later, Espio finished coaxing his boyfriend.

"You should be feeling much better now." he said. Vector got up, stretched, and put his arms down, sighing.

"Thank ya, this really helped. Yer right, maybe I should take a break fer tonight."

Espio smiled as Vector cupped his face, bringing him in for a kiss. The chameleon kissed back softly.

However, the kiss became heated. The two reptiles kept kissing repeatedly, each kiss becoming harder, more rougher, and each breath from both Vector and Espio becoming heavier.

Espio grabbed onto Vector's shirt, pulled it down, and looked him in the eye.

"Vector… I need you…" he whispered. "I need you right now…"

"That can be arranged…" Vector whispered back. The two kissed one last time as Vector turned off the lamp on the desk and stumbled onto his bunk, throwing Espio's notes down to the floor. Espio got on top of Vector and stared into his vermilion eyes for a brief second, before the two reptiles slowly kissed yet again.

Vector wrapped his arms around Espio's neck as the chameleon did the same, slow kissing being the only noise audible in the room. As the passionate moment between two lovers continued, Vector slowly moved his hand closer to Espio's kimono and slowly took the string that held it together apart, taking the kimono off of him. He looked at his lover's slim body, and traced the heart on the fuchsia reptile's chest.

"It's almost like it's there fer a reason." Vector grinned, wrapping his arms around the foreign exchange student's lower back. Espio smirked as he slid his hands under Vector's shirt, feeling the rock hard muscles of the crocodile's body. Pulling the shirt up to his chest, the chameleon slowly moved his right hand down, and felt a bulge through Vector's pants.

"It seems like something's here, is there not?" Espio teased. He moved towards the button, but just before he could unbutton the crocodile's pants, Vector put his hand in the way and looked up at Espio.

"E-Espio… wait… d'ya… d'ya know what yer doin'?" he asked. Espio softly smiled at his boyfriend and gave him a kiss on his belly, slowly moving down.

"Perhaps not, but… I think I'll do just fine. You trust me, don't you?" Espio replied.

"Mmm… yeah… I do…"

"Good…"

And with that, Espio continued with what he planned to do: he unbuttoned Vector's pants, and slowly pulled the zipper down.

* * *

 _"Wow… I can't believe I just did that…"_

Vector moved his head and glanced towards the alarm clock on the desk, which read "12:05 A.M." The moonlight of outside shone on him as everything that had happened in the past few hours played back in his mind.

Currently, the two reptiles were still on Vector's bunk, both entirely nude, and with Espio on top of Vector, who quickly fell asleep after their romp had finished. The crocodile had his arm over the chameleon's back, slowing caressing it with his hand.

 _"I didn't know he could take it all. Sure is a strong guy."_ Vector thought. He remembered each and every one of Espio's moans as he thrusted in and out of the fuchsia reptile. Despite seeing himself as a loud person in bed, and knowing how quiet Espio normally is, it was quite surprising to see Espio making all the noise.

Vector's mind flashed back to when he had sex with Julie-Su, and remembered how guilty he was for doing so. Yet, in his current situation now, the crocodile didn't find himself feeling guilty or regretting what he did. In fact, he was rather… appeased, content with the fact he was able to please his lover.

The crocodilian quarterback smiled as he held Espio close, almost as if he were shielding him from any danger the world could throw at them.

* * *

The next morning, Vector was the first to wake up. Looking at the alarm clock, it was apparently 8:23 A.M.

The crocodile felt a soft breeze as he remembered that he still had no clothes on, much like Espio.

And speaking of Espio…

Looking right next to him at his right hand, Vector saw that at some point during the night, he and Espio had somehow connected hands.

 _"How cute…"_ Vector thought. He suddenly felt Espio shift as he looked back at his lover, who was now opening his eyes. Seeing Vector in front of him made the chameleon smile.

 _"Ohay-…_ Oh… sorry, I forgot this wasn't my dojo for a second. Good morning, Vector." said Espio, placing his arms on Vector's chest and resting his head on it.

"Mornin' to ya too. Last night sure was somethin', huh?" Vector responded.

"Y-Yes… I will admit; it was… different than anything I had ever done."

"Same, I feel ya. This is mah first time havin' sex with a guy, and to tell ya the truth? I'm glad it was ya."

Vector held Espio's face in his left hand and gave him a quick kiss, the chameleon's scales softly turning red in response.

"Ya aren't hurt, are ya?"

"Erm… a bit. Let's just say… uhh… down THERE still hurts." Espio chuckled in response to what he said.

"Heh, don't worry 'bout it, happens to everyone who bottoms fer the first time, or, at least, from what I've heard. Ya can still walk, right?"

"Oh yeah, I'm sure of it."

Espio rolled over from Vector's and stood up. His legs were a bit wobbly, but he could still walk. He watched as Espio began to look for new clothes to wear.

As Espio did, he turned around and saw Vector; staring right at him.

"Is… Is there a problem, Vector?" Espio asked.

"Nothin', just… "enjoyin' the view", if ya catch mah drift." Vector responded, winking at Espio. The chameleon's face grew redder as he realized what he meant: he was staring at the fuchsia reptile's nude self.

"Oh gosh…" Espio said to himself, covering his hands with his face. He heard a creak from the crocodile's bunk as Vector got up, looking for fresh clothes as well. As the two reptiles stood next to each other, Espio putting on a pair of black tobi trousers, Vector put on a pair of blue boxers and turned his head towards his chameleon lover.

"So, Espio, what's the plan fer today, huh? Tomorrow's the start of Final Exams after all." he asked.

"Well, once I get dressed, I plan to go to the library to study some more." The foreign exchange student said.

"Really? Without breakfast? Studyin' on an empty stomach doesn't really seem all that healthy."

"Don't worry, I can handle it. Besides, I won't go the entire day without eating."

"Well… alrighty… when I'm done with breakfast, I'll meet ya at the library, okay?"

"Agreed."

* * *

"Funny you mention that; Mighty said the same thing this morning too. I chewed him out, but he didn't listen. That armadillo can sure be a blockhead sometimes…"

"Hm, and here I was thinkin' he was the smart one when it comes to ya two."

"A-And what does that mean?! That I'm stupid?!"

"Perhaps."

Vector grinned at Knuckles as the red echidna rolled his eyes. Currently, the two football players were having breakfast in the dining hall, which was almost full from people cramming breakfast in before studying for finals.

Finishing his last piece of toast, Knuckles put his cutlery down and looked around, before staring right at Vector.

"Speaking of Espio, Vector… there's something I've been meaning to ask… Me and Mighty have been slowly noticing it since the end of February, and I think now's a good time to ask since we're both here."

Vector froze. What did Knuckles mean? Surely he didn't know anything about their relationship. Or… did he? Were they not careful enough to make sure no one saw them?

The defensive tackler looked around yet again before reaching into Vector.

"Is… Is there something going on between you and Espio?" he asked.

Vector sighed, ate a bit of his blueberry muffin, and stared right into Knuckles' eyes.

"Knux… ya better not say anythin' negative fer what I'm 'bout to tell ya."

"Anything negative?"

Vector sighed. "…Y-… Yeah… Yeah there is… We're a couple, Knux…"

The crocodile dared to not look at his friend, knowing his reaction would be negative. However, he felt Knuckles place his hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, don't feel bad, Vector. I'm just a surprised to hear, and kinda shocked as to why you didn't tell me or Mighty." he said.

"I wouldda told ya guys, but I dunno what yer reactions wouldda been."

"Well, let it be known now: I support yours and Espio's relationship. But still, I kinda find it a bit hard to believe. I thought you guys were bros until the end if you ask me. How many bases have you gotten to?"

"All of 'em."

"Wait… all?! Then… does that mean?"

Vector nodded his head. "Yup… we did the do. Last night to be exact."

Knuckles ran his hand through his dreadlocks. "Man, that's something I never thought I'd hear from you. Heh, well... I guess as so you don't have to be the only one to let out a secret, how about I do one instead?"

"Hm? Secret? Ya dun have to Knux…"

"Nah nah, don't worry, it's fine. After all, it's best to return the favor."

Knuckles leaned in towards Vector and whispered in his ear. When he finished talking, the crocodilian quarterback's eyes widened as he dropped his fork onto the floor, mouth slightly gaping open.

"No way… y-ya and Mighty are…"

"Friends with benefits? Fuckbuddies? Whatever way you'd like to see it." Knuckles responded.

"B-But I thought ya two were straight as hell! After all, ya had a likin' fer Rouge, and Mighty had one for Wave."

"Well, let's just say this stemmed from the idea that we "need to prepare ourselves for if we ever do get in bed with them"."

"And ya solved it by bangin' each other? Since late September no less?!"

"Well, I did. Mighty, I'm not sure. He was always bottom. Loud guy too…"

"Ahh, so ya entered the gay zone now." Vector teased. "It's like the Twilight Zone, only this is for straight guys doin'... "things", with their male bros.

Knuckles' eyes widened. "H-Heck no I'm not gay!" he argued back

"Sureeee… Hm... maybe gay isn't the right sexuality title fer ya. How 'bout bisexual? Ooh ooh, or how 'bout pansexual! That seems to fit ya more."

"V-VECTOR!"

"Heh heh, just kiddin'. But in all seriousness, whatever ya and Mighty do behind closed doors, I support ya. And don't worry; I'll come to the weddin' in a few years."

"W-WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT "JUST KIDDIN'" JUST A FEW SECONDS AGO?!"

* * *

Once breakfast was done, Vector and Knuckles went to the library to join Espio and Mighty. For almost the entire day, the crocodile, chameleon, echidna, and armadillo did nothing but study in the library, only getting up for food, a bathroom break, or water.

At sun down, the librarian looked down at the four and tapped her ruler on the desk Vector, Espio, Knuckles, and Mighty sat down at.

"Alright sir's, you all have been here far longer than you've needed to. There are still many people who need to study, and if you look around you; every table here is occupied."

Vector looked around and saw that the blue pika was right: every table had at least more than two people sitting down at it.

"If you need to study, then do it in your dorms at least."

With that, the librarian walked off.

"Geez, we don't wanna fail. How dare we study in a library anyone can use." Knuckles sarcastically said. The four collected their materials and left the library, returning to their dorms to study.

* * *

No matter how much Vector complained in the morning, and whether he liked it or not, final's day soon came. The entire building was entirely quiet as the two reptiles entered Advanced English Literature for their first exam.

"Andddd, you can begin." Professor Finitevus said, looking up at the clock once he finished passing out the exam to everyone.

The large green reptile chewed his pencil tip as he looked at his exam. He wrote down the answer to the first question, and moved onto the next one.

 _"I studied plenty enough, I should be good."_ Vector thought. His eyes slowly moved to the left as he looked at Espio, who was doing his exam while Valdez stood by him, translating his exam to him.

 _"Nevermind Espio, exam time is now."_ Vector told himself, looking back at his assessment.

* * *

Finally, the day was soon over, and with that; all of Vector's exams were done. The crocodile sighed a breath of relief. However, Espio didn't; as he had one more exam tomorrow.

"Well, ya should head to bed early." Vector commented to Espio in the dorm at night. "Hey, so I dun disturb ya, how 'bout I go to sleep too?"

Espio nodded as Vector turned off the lights. The two reptiles did their necessary pre-bedtime routines, then headed straight to their bunks.

However, mid into the night, Espio found himself not being able to sleep. He looked down at Vector.

"Psst, Vector!" Espio whispered. The crocodile opened one of his eyes.

"Hm? Whassup, Espio? What's the problem?" Vector asked, yawning due to being woken up.

"I can't sleep."

"Really? Hm, that's troublesome."

"What can I do?"

"Well…"

It was then that Vector rose up from his bunk and reached out to the chameleon, bringing him down to his bunk. The fuchsia reptile looked surprised as Vector held him in his arms.

"There ya go. Comfortable?" he asked.

Espio looked up at his boyfriend and felt a soft redness on his face.

"S-Surprisingly, yes…"

"Good."

The crocodile cuddled the chameleon until the two soon fell asleep.

* * *

Up until the start of June, Mobius U could only be described with one word: quiet.

However, once everyone was finished with exams, the environment soon changed to what it originally was before final exams started, loud, booming, and overall, alive.

In their dorm, Vector and Espio were currently clearing out the pantry and the fridge of all food, and cleaning up every part of the dorm room. Many boxes lay in the middle containing Vector's clothes, belongings, etc, and two sets lay open on the floor, containing all of Espio's stuff.

"So, Vector, you do remember that… in a few days… I'm leaving?" Espio asked. He watched as Vector lowered his snout and looked at the ground.

"Y-Yeah… I remember." The crocodile replied. It was obvious that he wanted to avoid the subject and not think about it. "Espio?"

"Hm? Yes, Vector?"

"I think… before it's time to say goodbye, we have some last minute fun. D'ya agree?"

Espio looked up at Vector, nodding his head.

"Y-Yes… I agree. We must."

It was then that Espio's stomach growled. Vector smirked at his smaller boyfriend.

"Hungry? Alright, that'll be the plans fer tonight."

"Plans? What plans?"

Vector got out his cell phone and began to text away. As he soon put it away, Vector walked to one of the boxes and pulled out some clothes.

"We're eatin' out to a fancy place tonight, I'll think ya'll like it a lot. I invited Knux and Mighty, ya know, since I'm sure they'd be up fer it. Ya don't have a problem with them coming, d'ya?"

"Of course not, they're my friends too, aren't they?"

"Heck yeah they are. Now c'mon, let's get ourselves dressed."

* * *

It was nighttime, Espio was inside Vector's car with him, Knuckles, and Mighty. Despite the enclosed space, and the car only being lit up by the lights on the front of the car, the chameleon could safely say that he was having quite a fun time.

While driving to their destination, the crocodile played a loud rock song as everyone but Espio sang it aloud. However, the chameleon couldn't resist the urge to smile at the three, finding their antics amusing.

After some time of driving, Vector slowed down his car and entered the parking lot to a restaurant with a glowing neon sign, reading "CHOSUSKE'S". Espio looked at it and gasped; it looked exactly like one of the ancient pagoda's he had seen in his family's scrolls. Fountains and greenery surrounded the entire place as Espio read the sign to the restaurant.

"CHOSUSKE'S

All you can eat Northern Mobius buffet"

"A… Northern…" Espio said, those being the only words he could form.

"All ya can eat buffet of stuff ya probably had back home? Hell yeah." replied Vector.

"I…" Espio then covered his mouth, shaking his head. "This is far too kind for our last get together, thank you so much."

Vector patted Espio's back, beaming at him.

"Well, whaddya say we head inside?"

* * *

Needless to say, it felt like Espio was about to explode when he saw the inside of the buffet.

The soft strumming of a shamisen was audible as the sound of flowing water coming from a small waterfall, and going through pieces of bamboo were also heard. A yellow lynx wearing a purple outfit and dawning a straw hat as she walked in front of the group.

"Welcome to Chosuke's, a table for four I presume?" she asked. Vector nodded.

"Yup yup."

"Mm-hmm. Right this way please."

The lynx walked passed a small bridge leading to the main part of the restaurant as Vector, Espio, Knuckles, and Mighty followed behind her. She lead the four college students to a table and let them sit down.

"Your drinks for tonight?"

Knuckles elbowed Vector from across the table. "Say, should we get totally wasted tonight?"

"And have Espio drive our drunk ass selves back to Mobius U, when he doesn't even have a driver's license?" replied Vector. Knuckles sat back down in his chair and crossed his arms.

"Tch, always gotta take the fun outta everything, don't you?"

"Quite pouty aren't ya?"

The crocodilian quarterback then looked back at our waitress.

"Yeah, how about I go fer a cola?" he said.

"Same here." replied Mighty.

"I'll go for a water. I don't drink soda." said Knuckles.

"And cup of hot green tea." finished Espio. The lynx finished writing everything down.

"Okay… that should be all; you are free to start with your meal for tonight."

With that, the lynx left, and Vector, Espio, Knuckles, and Mighty got up and headed over to the buffet area.

Coming back to their table a few minutes later, the drinks were set down on the table as it was completely covered in plates of food. Just as Vector was about to grab his knife and fork, Espio stopped him.

"Ah, ah, ah, Vector… if we truly want an accurate Northern Mobius meal, then we must say the traditional word before every meal. Now everyone, put your hands together, and repeat after me, and bow when you say it too: Itadakimasu."

"Itadakimasu." Vector, Knuckles, and Mighty repeating, hoping they had pronounced it correctly.

"You three did a good job repeating what I said. Now, we may begin."

* * *

Many plates of food, one dare to Knuckles by Vector to eat at least a glob of wasabi, and various refills of their drinks later, the four sighed happily as they placed their hands on their tummies, full from their meal.

"So… I'm payin'?" Vector asked.

"No no, don't worry, I should pay." Knuckles replied.

"Wait wait, maybe I should?" said Mighty.

"How about all three of you pay the bill together?" suggested Espio. The two football players and the wrestler looked at each other before nodding.

Paying their bill, plus leaving a big tip for their waitress, the four left the buffet and headed on back to Mobius University. On the car ride, the four found themselves talking like they had been childhood friends.

Reaching Mobius U and getting out of the car, Knuckles and Mighty decided to head back to their dorms for the night. Vector winked, as if to mean that he and the armadillo were going to have another "alone night". The echidna flipped him off playfully as Vector gave an innocent grin.

Returning back to their dorm, Vector sighed as he kicked off his shoes.

"Well, summer's sure comin' near. And well… ya know… THAT's happenin'." he said, looking at his feet. Espio's touched his boyfriend's arm, only for him to take his hand and slid up the chameleon's leg.

"But fer now… I think we can have fun again… he he…"

"V-Vector? Are we going to do it again?"

It was then, that Vector started to tickle Espio's side. Being caught off guard by thinking what he and the crocodile were going to do, the foreign exchange student began to laugh heavily.

"HA HA HA! VECTOR, STOP! I'M VERY TICKLISH THERE!" he yelled out. Vector pinned down Espio to the floor as he continued to tickle.

"Ya know ya like it, Espio! Come on, I wanna hear ya laugh!"

Tears began to fall down from Espio's face due to how hard he was laughing. Just as Vector was about to tickle Espio's other side, a loud banging on their door stopped them.

"Hey, I know end of term is coming soon, but people are sleeping! Go to sleep, or don't. But just shut up!" Sally yelled at them. The two reptiles could hear her walk away as the reptile sneered.

"Jeez, we're just tryin' to have a bit of fun here." Vector muttered. Espio got up from the floor.

"I agree, even if you were pinning me down and tickling me. Which, by the way…"

Espio then tackled Vector to the ground, tickling him as well. The two reptiles proceeded to have a half-hour tickle fight until they lay on the floor, gasping for air.

"That… was way funner than it needed to be." Vector commented.

"Agreed." Espio replied, nodding his head.

"So… er… are we gunna be stayin' here on the floor? Or are our beds not good enough?"

"Bed it is, I'm tired."

"Same here, Espio."

The two reptiles got up from the floor, did their nightly routine of brushing their teeth, changing into appropriate clothes, etc, before finally getting in their bunks, giving each other a brief good night kiss.

While Espio lay asleep on his bunk only a few minutes later, Vector stayed up, texting Knuckles and Mighty, as the three were in a group chat. As he continued to tap away, he looked at the window, and back at his phone.

Yes, perhaps Espio would leave, but until the day came, Vector would still enjoy his time with the chameleon.

* * *

Vector must have fell asleep while in his group chat, because he was woken up by soft singing by the window.

 _"Itsumademo taeru koto naku_

 _Tomodachi de iyou…"_

The crocodile raised himself up as he saw Espio, sitting in a chair and looking up at the night sky. He seemed to be unaware of the large green reptile's presence, as he continued to softly sing in his native language.

 _"Asu no hi wa yume mite_

 _Kibou no michi wo."_

Vector pulled over his covers and got up from his bunk, Espio now noticing his presence. He pulled up another chair and sat next to his boyfriend.

"It's a nice song, is it not? You must be wondering what I'm singing." Espio asked.

"It'd be nice to know." replied Vector.

"It's a song I once heard. It's about how we can be friends forever, without an end. The lyrics, while not thinking about them much when I first heard this song, are beautiful. I can't help but think of you whenever I hum this song to myself."

"Ya can't?"

Espio nodded as the two reptiles looked back up at the night sky, and he continued to sing.

 _"Sora wo tobu tori no you ni_

 _Jiyuu ni ikiru_

 _Kyou no hi wa sayonara_

 _Mata au hi made…"_

Vector had said nothing the entire song, not even when Espio had said the last lyric of the song.

 _"Mata au hi made…"_

Espio laid his head on his arms, looking at Vector.

"Vector… when I'm gone… do you believe we'll meet again?" he asked his boyfriend.

"Yeah, I'm sure of it!" Vector replied, giving Espio a thumbs up and a grin. Espio smiled as he looked back at the sky.

"I believe so too. The last lyric of the song even says "Until the day we meet again", so yes, I do believe we'll see each other again."

The two reptiles stayed in their seats, looking up at the night sky and not making any conversations. Their presence around each other was all they cared in that moment.


	17. Chapter 17 - Finale

**(AN: Well, here we are, the last chapter of Transfer. I know I'd have some really big final thoughts here, but I'm going to leave that for the AN at the end of this chapter, amongst other things. So enough chit chat for now, sit back, and enjoy the finale.)**

* * *

It was the last day of term, the last day of the school year, and unfortunately, the last day that Espio could stay in Mobius U, as today was the day for him to return home back to his village in Northern Mobius.

Vector opened the door leading to the hall as he turned around "Ya got everythin' ya need?" he asked Espio rather softly, looking at his boyfriend.

"We checked everything twice, you remember?" The chameleon replied.

"Oh… yeah, sorry 'bout that. C'mon, let's not get the day ahead of us."

Grabbing one of Espio's luggage cases, Vector exited out of the now empty dorm room as Espio took his other luggage case, following after his crocodilian boyfriend. As the two reptiles walked down the steps of Mobius U, Espio could tell that there was this sadness in Vector's eyes. It was painfully obvious to the fuchsia reptile that Vector didn't want Espio to leave, but knew he had to.

Just before Vector and Espio headed to the parking garage, a voice stopped them.

"Espio?" A familiar voice asked. The two turned around and were shocked to see who was behind them: Knuckles, Mighty, Sonic, Manic, Sonia, Headmaster Robotnik, Professor Finitevus, and Coach Augustus.

"E-Everybody?" Espio questioned, Knuckles and Mighty walked up to the foreign exchange student.

"So, I guess this is goodbye? We won't see you again?" The red echidna asked, shrugging his shoulders. Espio shook his head as Mighty sighed.

"Man… and we all had such a fun time with you as well. Espio… I don't think I'll ever forget about you." The armadillo said.

"So, that's why me and Mighty decided to make a going away present for you." Knuckles then piped up, handing a small gift to Espio. The chameleon opened it and almost dropped it in shock. It was a framed picture of him, Vector, Knuckles, and Mighty, the latter three doing ridiculous poses while he himself looked at them amusingly.

Espio almost felt himself becoming emotional at the sight. Vector's friends… accepted him… he was their _friend, as much of a friend that Vector was to him_.

He bit his lip, and bowed.

"T-Thank you, Knuckles and Mighty!"

The chameleon didn't want the two athletes to know that he was starting to feel melancholy at the thought of leaving them too, so he tried to hang his head as much as possible, but soon enough, Espio came back up.

Coach Augustus then walked up to Espio and shook his head.

"Never once in all my years of being in Mobius U have I met such a student so interesting as you, Espio. I assume you still have the shirt I gave you?" The large polar bear asked.

Espio nodded. "Yes… thank you for it, Coach Augustus. It means so much to me."

"Heh, well, kid, it'll mean so much to you that in my office, I've added your name to our list of players for this year's football team."

Vector gasped as his eyes widened."Ya did, coach?!"

"Yup, added under his name "unofficial member, and honorary savior of the Mobius U football team." That of course, was referencing that vandalism thing. I don't think I could ever forget what you did that day for our team, Espio."

"Thank you… I'm glad that I was able to be friends with your team."

Professor Finitevus walked up next to Coach Augustus as he cleared his throat.

"Yes, erm, well, I can say the same thing to you too, Espio. It was very nice having you in my class, and for someone whose English is not their first language, I am stunned about how well you are able to speak and write it." The white echidna professor said. Espio grinned.

"Well, you may thank Vector for that. It was him that taught me everything." he replied. Vector rubbed the back of his head as he blushed.

"Heh heh… well, it was nothin'." The large green reptile replied.

Sonic and Manic walked up to Espio and fist bumped the chameleon.

"Yo, dude, it sure was great knowin' you." Manic said. The blue hedgehog nodded in response.

"Yeah, you're a real cool guy! I wouldn't mind seeing you again in the future." Sonic replied. "You're gunna stay rad for us, right, Espio?"

"Y-Yeah… I'll stay "rad"." Espio replied. Sonia came up to Espio and bowed.

"It was such a pleasure knowing you, Espio. Maybe I didn't talk to you as much as my brothers did, but I think you're a nice person." The pink hedgehog said. " _Dewa mata…_ "

Espio looked surprised. "You… you know Japanese?!"

"Yup! I've been taking it for a few years now. I think it comes in handy from time to time. And let me just say: knowing someone actually from Northern Mobius is just, so exciting!"

"Well, I'm glad that I made you excited to know me."

The hedgehog triples walked back to the group as finally, Headmaster Robotnik walked up to Espio, his large frame completely overshadowing the chameleon's.

"If I may make the last comment before you have to hurry to your plane, it's, what with Coach Augustus said about the vandalism incident; your reward for the school has now been finished. It currently resides in the office with all the other rewards for good services toward the school." Robotnik explained.

"Hey, that's great!" Vector replied, giving the headmaster a thumbs up.

"Well, I shouldn't be taking up your time. You should probably be heading to your plane. But… one last thing, Espio. If you ever wish to come back… well, Mobius U is happily willing to accept you in open arms. It was an honor having you in our school, Espio."

The Headmaster took off his cap and bowed slightly. The chameleon returned the bow as he turned around.

"Good-bye!" Everyone called out, waving as the two reptiles left.

* * *

Vector opened the back trunk of his car and placed the first bag of luggage into the trunk.

"Ya can put that in the backseat." He said, pointing to the luggage that Espio was carrying. The two reptiles lifted the baggage into the backseat as Espio placed the framed photo that Knuckles gave him into the suitcase.

"Y'know, I thought Valdez wouldda taken ya to the airport." Vector questioned.

"He told me he had to leave for business back in Northern Mobius, but said he would wait for me when I arrived at Northern Mobius' airport. I don't mind… that means I can… properly say goodbye…" Espio replied. The two sighed as they knew that the stunning reality was only minutes away.

Vector started up his car and drove out of the parking garage of Mobius U, driving to Mobius International Airport. As he did, the crocodile put on the radio, changing the station to a slow jazz station.

"Feels fittin' fer today." he said.

Waiting around in traffic for a few minutes, the green light shone as the crocodilian quarterback stepped on the gas pedal. About ten minutes later, Vector drove into the airport, heading to the main terminal of the airport.

Driving up to the goat running the ticket booth, he handed Vector a ticket for parking as the large green reptile drove around for a few minutes, trying to find a parking space.

Soon finding one, Vector parked his car, and the two reptiles got out from it. Vector walked over to the trunk and opened it, pulling out the first of Espio's luggage while the fuchsia reptile got the one out from the back seat. Placing it on the ground, Vector and Espio walked to the airport terminal from the parking garage.

"Ya got yer plane ticket?" Vector asked as the two reptiles walked into the airport. Espio pulled out his ticket from his pocket, showing the large green reptile.

"That's good. C'mon, let's find the airline company ya came here to. What does it say on yer ticket?"

Espio looked over his ticket, which had a logo for an airline company titled "Delfino Airlines."

"Alrighty… Delfino Airlines… let's try to find it…"

Heading off to the second floor of the airport via the escalator, Vector and Espio searched for the airline company. A few minutes later, they soon found it, and after placing both of Espio's luggage bags onto the scale, the woman working at the desk, a teal hedgehog named Breezie, said that their bags have been accepted, and that Espio's flight would arrive in less than half an hour.

Seeing as how there wasn't much to do until the time, Vector and Espio headed to the small café by the entrance of the second floor, both having an iced coffee.

After quite some time, a voice on the P.A. system announced that the plane departing for Northern Mobius' airport has arrived. Realizing that this was their queue, the two reptiles threw away their garbage and headed off to the terminal, where they saw the LCD screen on the top of the metal detector displaying "Northern Mobius – 11:30 A.M."

Turning around to face each other, Espio could see the glum and saddened expression on Vector's face.

"Well… this is it…" The crocodile softly said.

"Well, not particularly. At least, not yet. Vector, I have a surprise for you." Espio replied.

"Hm? A surprise?"

It was then that Espio pulled out a box from his kimono. Looking confused, Vector shook the box.

"What is this? Espio… ya shouldn't have…"

"Awh… come on, open it…"

Vector unwrapped the packaging, and saw a blue box with Japanese symbols written all of them.

"What the… what is this?" asked Vector. "First, where did ya get this?"

"I asked Valdez to get this for me. You know, as a going away present from me."

"Oh… well, as I was about to ask, what is this?"

"This…" Espio placed his finger onto the box. "Is known as "Ichino's Puzzle", or, as it's most commonly known as; "The Puzzle of the Gods". It's a very special puzzle"

"The Puzzle of the Gods? And how is it special"

"Yes, and to respond to your second question, you see Vector, what I am about to tell you about this puzzle is a very common folktale told by many people in Northern Mobius, and yes, my mother and father often told me this story when I was younger…"

 _"A long time ago, there existed an Emperor who ruled over Northern Mobius named "Ichino". Many of the Emperor's guardsmen, maids, and the common village folk all respected and cherished him, making him a very popular and powerful man. However, his reign over Northern Mobius soon came to an end, because as he got older, he ended up falling ill with a disease that was ravaging another part of Mobius, which Emperor Ichino just only visited not too long ago._

 _As the doctor's didn't know how to cure the disease, he wasn't given much long left to live. Everyone begin to grieve for the eventual death of their great Emperor, but Ichino didn't want anything of that. And so, one evening, he called his son to his chambers and asked to meet him privately. When he did, he asked his son to grab his favorite puzzle for him. Upon giving it to Ichino, he told his son that he didn't want his legacy to leave Mobius forever, and so, he would solve the puzzle one last time._

 _In the morning, when the maids checked on Ichino, they found him dead by the puzzle. As they all cried, his son saw a note by the bed and picked it up. It had read that Ichino had placed his soul into the puzzle by a priest he sent a deliverer to only a week prior, and that this is what he meant by he didn't want his legacy to die; he placed his soul into the puzzle, waiting for the one to solve it…"_

"What you should know about this puzzle, Vector, is that it is known for being incredibly difficult. It was made by a craftsmen hired by Emperor Ichino himself, and he requested that it be as difficult as possible. However… it is believed that in every version of Ichino's puzzle, a piece of his soul resides in it. And that once it is solved, the person who solved it will get one wish, believed to be granted by Ichino himself."

"Whoa… so… if I solve this puzzle… I'll get whatever I want?" Vector asked in awe, completely amazed by the story.

"If that's how you see it."

Vector looked at the puzzle once more before looking at Espio. "T-This means a lot… thank ya…"

And in that moment, all the emotions the two reptiles had culminated in the two hugging very tightly, not wanting to let go. Vector and Espio looked at each other briefly before giving each other a loving kiss on the lips.

An airplane had started flight in the large window of all the aircraft's just feet away as about a minute later, the two parted from their kiss, and Vector placed Espio's head on his chest, wrapping his arms around his shoulders.

"I'll miss ya…" he whispered.

"I will miss you too, Vector…" Espio replied.

Despite never wanting people to see him cry, or be sad in general, Vector softly sniffed as he caressed Espio's back.

"Espio… know that I'll always love ya… I… I just dun wanna see ya go… I dun care that we haven't even known each other fer 'bout a year… ya mean a lot to me, and ya sure as hell changed mah life…"

"I agree… I feel the same way…"

Seeing that the time for Espio to get on his plane was inching nearer, the chameleon looked up at Vector and stared at him.

"I must go…" Espio said.

Knowing that he only had one last thing to say before it was truly time to part, Vector remembered a word he learned from his Japanese class, and whispered it to Espio.

" _Sayonara…_ "

And then, Espio replied.

"Goodbye…"

Despite their language barriers at first, the two reptiles had used the first language of the other for their last words. This, surprised, and gave Vector goosebumps simply hearing him say his last words in Japanese, and Espio's in English.

Parting from their hug, Espio walked to the metal detector and headed off to catch his plane. Vector watched the entire time, even seeing Espio get onto the plane from far away. He caught his last glimpse at his boyfriend before the plane began to move, and soon, fly away.

With Espio's going away gift under his arm, Vector turned around and left the airport.

* * *

 **EPILOUGE**

When Vector returned home that following evening, his parents couldn't help but notice that their son looked rather… sad. When they asked him what was wrong, the crocodile replied with "It's nothin'… don't worry 'bout it, I'm fine…". Soon enough, Vector's parents stopped asking, as they knew they couldn't get an answer.

The truth was, Vector's heart ached, he missed Espio's presence, and he longed for him so much. But the truth was the truth; he may never see his boyfriend again.

Vector's sadness and his same thoughts persisted in his mind all summer, and even into the next school year, where he was now a junior. The crocodilian quarterback never moved on from Espio's departure, and as such, still maintained his feelings for him, and didn't want to date anyone else.

However, it wasn't just Vector who missed Espio. Mighty and Knuckles often commented that "their squad wasn't complete without Espio…" Even Coach Augustus, during a private meeting with Vector in September, commented to him "Things have been much quieter here since Espio left… to be honest… it's getting a bit lonely without him here."

Despite this, there was still one thing that always kept his hopes up even with Espio gone; the puzzle he had given to him.

Every day, starting from the day Vector received the puzzle, he had tried to solve it. True to his word, Espio was right when he said that it was very difficult, and it proved to be the hardest task Vector had ever done. Yet, he remembered Espio's words about being calm, and tried, and tried, and tried to complete the puzzle.

Finally, one night towards the end of his senior year, Vector sat at his desk, neglected study guides in front of him as the large green reptile attempted yet again to solve the puzzle. Surprisingly, Vector found himself having an easier time solving it, and within a minute, Vector had added five new pieces to the puzzle, with only one left. The crocodilian quarterback's breath became sharp as he grabbed the last puzzle piece, and placed it in its correct spot.

Vector gasped as his eyes widened, he held out his arms as he stared at his accomplishment. In front of him was Ichino's Puzzle, now fully complete.

The crocodile held the puzzle up to his face, and closed his eyes.

"I dunno if ya really exist, Ichino, or whatever. Or if ya even grant wishes in the first place, but if ya do… grant mah wish… I wanna meet Espio again…" Vector whispered.

For a long time, it seems like there truly was no wish supposedly granted by Ichino. Life was just of the same, nothing new, or nothing strange. To say Vector was disappointed was an understatement.

…

That was, until one fateful day.

A few years later, now 26 years old, Vector had moved out of his parents' house, and into an apartment in Station Square. Graduating Mobius U with a degree in sports and law, signed to a professional football team, as well as being a small time detective, it was safe to say that Vector's life was in order, and wouldn't want it any other way. However, since he didn't see himself as someone who didn't want too much, the crocodile preferred to stay in a small apartment then in some giant house.

Placing the last box on the floor, Vector wiped his forehead and whistled, spinning the keys to his apartment on his index finger and walking out of his apartment. He took a deep breath and sighed, it was a bright and beautiful day, and his life of living by himself began today.

"Hmm… maybe I should introduce mahself to the neighbor's…" Vector said to himself. On cue, the door to his left opened as the crocodile turned around.

However, when he caught sight of his neighbor, Vector gasped and froze. He felt his keys fall from his finger and drop onto the floor with a loud "CLINK!".

Standing in front of him, was a familiar looking small, fuchsia chameleon, wearing feudal style clothes, who had a curled up tail, and a curved, yellow horn in between his eyes.

The chameleon looked up at Vector in surprise as the crocodilian football player looked for words to say. However, the fuchsia reptile formed a smile on his face, and before Vector could say anything, he spoke.

"Hello… I know you, don't I… Vector?

 **FIN**

* * *

 **(AN 2: And that's a wrap, everybody!**

 **So first off, THANK YOU EVERYBODY for reading Transfer, it means so much to me. Considering now this fic has reached almost 2,000 views is just... so stunning. I have never made a fic this successful before, and I am so glad you all enjoyed it so much. I'm rather surprised this got rather popular, seeing as that Vecpio is a very uncommon ship to see in the Sonic fandom nowadays, but I'm glad either way that I'm able to share my own personal OTP with the rest of the Sonic fandom ^^**

 **Thank you everyone who favorited, followed, and most importantly, left reviews for this fic. Seeing a new one of those always got me excited and happy, it means that you all really loved my content!**

 **And on that subject, to all the reviewers, and or anyone else who wasn't really a Vecpio fan, nor considered the pairing until my fic came along, you're all welcome ;). I have all converted you to the side of homosexual reptiles :P Heh, just kidding.**

 **So, you may be asking now since Transfer is over... what's next for future fics?**

 **Welllll... I am actually doing a collab fic right now with another Vecpio author. I won't say who, but I think when it gets published, you'll all be surprised as to who it is. But that's all I'm saying ;)**

 **After that, I do have ONE Vecpio fic I am considering. It's rather rough, and I need to come up with far more ideas, but I think once I do so, I'll start writing that!**

 **That's pretty much all I wanna say, although... I guess I can leave some copyright info in the event if I get in trouble... somehow...**

 **Vector, Espio, and all characters and names of locations featured in the Sonic the Hedgehog games are all trademarks of SEGA Corporation and Sonic Team. The only one character from Sonic Boom is a trademark of SEGA.**

 **All characters featured from the Archie Comics is a trademark of Archie, and all characters featured from Sonic Underground is a trademark of DIC**

 **And probably a kinda important one, all characters created by Ken Penders featured in Transfer are a trademark of... Ken Penders... (unfortunately DX).**

 **That's about it! I hope you enjoyed Transfer like I did writing it. I guess if I had to share my thoughts, I love my ideas I did for this fic. Heh, and seeing some of you react to them was really great. Some of them were kinda spur of the moment things, while other's I had planned for a while, for example, the whole Knuxighty friends with benefits thing. TBH, it was kinda surprising to come up with that since I actually ship Sonuckles and not Knuxighty, and Mighty is one of the very few Sonic characters I headcanon as straight.**

 **But all that aside, that's all I really have to say. This is the TheHunterPersian signing off...)**


	18. Transfer Sequel Reminder!

Well hello everybody! It's been about a year since I updated this fic! I hope you guys enjoyed reading it from start to finish!

I want to remind you, or if you don't know, inform you that there is a sequel to this fic! The fic is titled 'Memoirs of Mobius U', and it's been finished since the posting of this update. I simply want to tell you as I think a lot of people who are aware of Transfer don't know there is a sequel! So, I'm making this to let you all know!

That's all there is! I hope to see you guys next fic I post!


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